By Abiola Olawale
Just a few hours after ordering the constitution of a panel of inquiry to probe the spending of the last administration in Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has revealed that he inherited a huge debt from his predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The governor said the debt portfolio of Rivers State purportedly rose significantly during the administration of Wike, adding that his administration is battling with offsetting the enormous debts.
Fubara made the claims on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, during the commissioning of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, (also known as Old Bori Road) in Eleme local government area of the state.
Fubara said that a substantial portion of the projects inaugurated by the previous administration remained incompletely remunerated, adding that several contractors, used by the previous administration, have been meeting him to pay the outstanding balances.
The governor, who did not give an estimate of the state’s debt, said he is compelled to speak out after being pushed by his detractors.
He said: “My story, as a person, will not be complete if Eleme is not mentioned; that is the truth. Maybe, if I have not started from Eleme, I will not get to Level 14. At least, I started here before I got to Level 14.
“And for the record, this contract was awarded to CCECC on the 14th of August, 2023, not by “I” but by this administration, and as we go further, we will be going with a White Paper, showing the record and amounts this project was awarded.
“This project was awarded at N6.7bn, and I can say boldly, no kobo is remaining, we have paid the contractor completely without owing. The purpose of this is to let the world know that, if there is one problem this administration has it is debts.
“Most of the projects commissioned (by the last administration), the contractors are still coming for their balance payments running into millions and billions.
“I have said I don’t want to talk because I am part of that system, but when they keep pushing me, I will say it so that we will see the ‘yansh’ of the fowl.
“But let us leave that one until when they are ready, we will also be ready. The small one we are doing now, they are not sleeping; I wonder what will happen when we do the big one.
“The problem we have is accumulated debts from the past government.”
Governor Fubara said he has invited his Abia State counterpart, Dr Alex Otti, to commission the project, stating that he (Fubara) is committed to aligning with progressive figures.
The New Diplomat reports that Rivers State has been in the news for over six months following the cold war between Fubara and Wike. While the reasons for the acrimony between the duo remain top secret, some inside sources say Wike and Fubara are purportedly battling for control of the oil-rich state’s resources and political machinery.
Sources reveal that with the decision of the state government to set up a panel of inquiry into the expenditure and governance of Rivers State in the last eight years, it is clear that Fubara is going for Wike’s jugular.
