Minister of
Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi spoke yesterday on the two helicopters the
Customs Service turned over to the Air Force at the weekend.
He accused former
President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Nyesom Wike of blocking the government
of Rivers State from taking possession of the helicopters.
But Wike, in a
statement last night, said Amaechi resorted to the purchase of helicopters
because he could not provide good governance.
In a statement
by his media office, Amaechi said when he took over as Governor, some criminals
masquerading as militants, kidnappers and other elements were on the prowl in
Rivers State.
Among measures
to combat the menace was the purchase of the helicopters.
Based on
recommendation of security experts, he said his administration bought the two
Bell 412 security surveillance helicopters in collaboration with the Federal
Government through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“To show their
support, the Federal government through the office of the NSA contributed
$15million, about half of the total sum, towards the purchase of the
helicopters.
“Also, the
then former President Goodluck Jonathan administration granted waivers to the
Rivers State government to purchase and import the helicopters,” Amaechi said.
The minister
said trouble started many months later when the Jonathan administration
allegedly frustrated attempts to take possession of the helicopters.
Amaechi said:
“It was obvious why the President Goodluck Jonathan administration acted the
way it did and Nyesom Wike, the present Governor of Rivers State was an
integral part, a major player in the whole conspiracy to block and prevent
Rivers State government from taking possession of the helicopters.
“Then, as a
minister in President Jonathan’s cabinet, Wike inundated President Jonathan
with fake stories of how then Governor Amaechi wanted to use the helicopters
for Presidential campaigns against Jonathan, how Amaechi will use the
helicopters to support President Jonathan’s opponents before and during the
presidential elections and all sorts of concocted tales that created a false
impression that the Amaechi government in Rivers State would use the helicopters
against and to fight President Jonathan, and not to secure lives and property.
“Wike then,
was already nursing the ambition to run for the office of Governor of Rivers
State. He didn’t care about the security of lives and property.
“The
helicopters were procured by the Amaechi administration to curb the wanton
menace of criminals in the State (which has since worsened under Wike’s watch),
but in his usual habit, Governor Wike has decided to abandon and dump the
helicopters, because he does not care about the safety and security of lives
and property in the State. Sad, very sad.”
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