The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has alleged that some politicians are scrambling to access the ₦600 billion reportedly left in the Rivers State treasury by the former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
Wike, a former Rivers State governor, said many politicians have recently intensified visits to Governor Siminalayi Fubara because of their interest in the funds.
He made the allegation while addressing members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
According to him, the politicians have adopted a pattern of publicly praising Governor Fubara, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while privately seeking access to state resources.
“Given the experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers money. If you want to make money in Rivers today, I don’t know how you made the mistake of announcing that there is ₦600bn. That announcement triggered the interest of some politicians from other states,” Wike said.
“Abusing Wike Has Become A Strategy” — Minister
Wike further alleged that some politicians now attack him publicly to endear themselves to the state government in hopes of benefiting from the funds.
“They will say, ‘this Wike, enough is enough,’ and they collect. So for you to suck part of that ₦600-and-something billion, you must say Wike’s time is over,” he added.
He described such individuals as political opportunists, saying that the disclosure of the funds had “opened the door” for people seeking financial advantage.
Wike maintained that the announcement of the amount left in the treasury had attracted undue attention, insisting that it had become a rallying point for politicians “waiting for where to perch.”
His comments come amid ongoing political tension in Rivers State following Governor Fubara’s defection and continued disagreements among political stakeholders in the state.