In furtherance of his demand for accountability on Rivers State assets sold under the preceding administration, Governor Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, challenged his predecessor and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to account for proceeds of the Dash 8 Propeller aircraft sold to Cross River State.
Wike, while briefing political stakeholders at the Government House, Port Harcourt on the state of Rivers assets, alleged that the Dash 8, among state aircraft acquired under Dr. Peter Odili’s administration, was sold by Amaechi to Cross River State for $6 million with only a deposit of N100 million made by the buyer.
According to Wike, the last time anyone heard of the Dash 8 plane was when Amaechi told then-State Executive Council that he won’t sell it to Chief Victor Odili, who had offered to purchase it at the cost of $5 million.
He said: “Chief Victor Odili offered to buy Dash 8 at $5 million. In the Executive Council, Amaechi said no, that he had a better offer of $6million from Cross River State.
“Of that $6 million, N100 million was paid as a deposit. Up till now, where is the balance? Where is our Dash 8? If they sold it to Cross River State, where is the balance? Asset that ought to be documented and handed over to incoming administration.”
He further recalled that while Amaechi was governor, he had written a letter in July 2011 to the State House of Assembly seeking approval to trade in the abandoned Legacy 600 aircraft in Germany to buy the Bombardier Global Express, adding that Amaechi bought the latter but never traded the Legacy 600.
“The whole essence of why they took the plane to Germany was because the former governor felt that he was going to install a governor in 2015. If Dakuku Peterside had become governor, that would have been the end of the plane,” Wike said.
