Former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who is now serving minister and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, both spent N900million to renovate the governor’s residence between April and June 2023, according to the Rivers State budget performance report for the second quarter.
Wike, currently the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) handed over to his godson, Fubara on May 29, and in the same quarter, records showed that they also spent N2.7billion on the purchase of computer printers while a whooping N32billion was spent on an item simply listed as “special projects.”
On Page 35 of the budget performance report, purchase of computer printers in three months was listed to have gulped N2,751,0399,898.84, while on Page 50 of the report, “Rehabilitation of Governor’s Residence” took N900,000,000.
Further checks by SaharaReporters on Saturday into the budget report revealed that within the three months, the office of the governor spent a security vote of N27,402,086,068.16 (still on Page 50).
Weeks ago, the political relationship between Wike, who is now with the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Abuja and the Rivers governor, Fubara, became sour, plunging the state into crisis – which also engulfed the State House of Assembly.
The House had commenced impeachment proceedings against Fubara accusing him of acts of gross misconduct unbecoming of his office.
While this was being hatched, a section of the assembly complex was gutted by fire.
There were speculations that the fire incident was orchestrated to prevent the lawmakers from initiating impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
The governor later visited the assembly complex to inspect the level of damage but his convoy was shot at and teargassed by policemen.
President Bola Tinubu had later met with Fubara and Wike as part of efforts to resolve the crisis.
The governor also thereafter offered an apology to the people of the state over the recent political crisis in the state.
But the political crisis and clash between the duo seemed far from being over as Wike dropped the latest missile on Friday saying Fubara was an ingrate.
Speaking on the crisis rocking the state, Wike had declared, “I don’t like ingrates. Let me tell you, I don’t like ingrates; I can’t stand it. What is happening now is what Odili said in his book: “Give a man power and money, then you will know the person.”
“If you haven’t given a man, power and money, then you don’t know the person. However, I’m not worried because I’m a politician. I know what other states are suffering because of debt, but go and check if I left liabilities; the records are there.
“I left projects for him to commission so he would showcase during his hundred days, then politics came in. We are just starting; God gave you something; you are now importing crisis.
“God gave this on the platter of gold; the Federal Government is not fighting you, no crisis, but you are the one now creating crisis for yourself; only those who are natural ingrates will support what is happening there. I use the instrumentality of law to fight, not thugs, time will come,” he had said.
