Rivers state government yesterday ordered former Governor Chibuke Rotimi Amaechi, who was last week nominated as minister-designate, retired Brigadier Anthony Ukpo, former military administrator of the state and some former political office holders to refund over N97 billion allegedly misappropriated by them in the sales of the state valued assets.

The state government also directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Chinwe Aguma, (SAN), to commence the process of prosecuting Amaechi and two others, over the sale of the state’s four gas turbines without due process.

The state governor, Nyesom Wike equally ordered the suspension of permanent secretaries and other top civil servants indicted by the report of the Justice George Omereji-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the sales of valued assets of the state during the immediate past administration.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the state executive council meeting after receiving the White Paper on the Commission’s report, the Commissioner for Housing, Barrister Emma Okah, said Amaechi would be prosecuted along with the former Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and his counterpart in the Ministry of Power, Sir Augustine Nwokocha.

Okah said the state government also ordered the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, to commence the recovery of funds realized from the sale of the four gas turbines from the former governor and Nwokocha.

His words: “You will agree with me that the Omereji commission had several terms of references and wqe will be taking them one after the other. The first term of reference is to ascertain the sale of the Omoku 150 megawatts gas turbine; Afam 360 megawatts gas turbine; Trans-Amadi 136 megawatts gas turbine and the Eleme 75 megawatts gas turbine by the administration of former Governor Chibhike Rotimi Amaechi.

“The commission finds as a fact that the sale of 70% equity from the First Independent Power Limited in Omoku gas turbine, Trans-Amadi gas turbine, Afam Phase I gas turbine and Eleme gas turbine, have been very difficult to justify. They have therefoe recommended the review of sale of the power assets and the government of Rivers State has accepted that recommendation.

“Refund of proceeds by Chibuike Amaechi , Chamberlain Peterside, and Augustine Nwokocha. In furtherance of this findings that the sale of the four gas turbines was unjustifiable and against the interest of the government and people of Rivers State.

“The commission recommends that the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, along with his former commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha, respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sales of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds there from.

“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the office of the Honorable Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, to promptly set in motion the appropriate machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of the sale of the gas turbines from the former governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, and every other persons implicated in the commission’s report.”

Okah stated that the state government has directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to recover N3 billion meant for agricultural free loans to farmers, from former Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chinda.

Also, he stated that former commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker was to refund some billions of naira spent without due process for the construction of the Justice Karibi-Whyte Hospital, while the former Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari and former military Governor of Old Rivers State, General Anthony Ukpo were to join Amaechi in returning N33 billion spent on the state monorail project without passing through due process.

In a swift reaction, the State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC in a statement titled “Omeriji Panel Report White Paper: End of Wike’s chicanery” said Wike’s action was a mere drama to entertain himself.

Part of the statement reads: “The APC finds today’s release of the purported white paper as part of the scenes taken from a typical mediaeval era book of self-entertainment. It qualifies for nothing and is not worth more than the decrepit paperweight and putrefying character of its mastermind and authors. However, it is a huge relief to our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi that Nyesom Wike finally accepts that an accused is taken to court of law and not court of public opinion through the manipulation of the media.

“Governor Nyesom Wike is at liberty to amuse himself but wanton display by a governor of crass ignorance of the basic workings of government with regard to how government disposes its property and the process of channelling the payments into government coffers calls for sober reflection by every Rivers man, woman and youth. And the question begging for answer is: how did we get here?

“The APC would like to state that those who crafted this whole melodrama know very well that their contraption is nothing more than a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC is glad that Governor Wike has finally hearkened to the pleas by former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to go to court to prove his accusations rather than embark on expensive strings of media trial through newspapers and worthless television documentaries.

“We have no doubt that very concrete records of every bit of matter relating to the Monorail, sale of power stations, reserve fund, agricultural grant, lease of Olympia Hotel and any others have all been articulated and already in the public domain. Of course, these will be availed the court to permanently put paid to the ongoing chicanery by Governor Nyesom Wike and his friends.”