Governor Nyesom Wike has said the Rivers State government
has through intelligence discovered a Legacy 600 aircraft owned by the state,
which he said was flown to and abandoned in Germany since 2012 by the
administration of former governor and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike
Amaechi.
He said it was unconscionable for the immediate past
administration to have surreptitiously taken a state-owned asset to Germany and
abandon same there, without any documentation.
The Governor revealed that the government had spent over €3
million (N1.4bn) in efforts to repair and retrieve the aircraft which had been
abandoned for 10 years.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special
Assistant to the Governor on Media, Kevin Ebiri, who revealed that Wike had led
a delegation of Rivers leaders to General Atomics Aerotec in Munich, Germany,
where the aircraft had been abandoned.
Speaking during a meeting with the General Manager, Business
Development, General Atomics Aerotec, Markus Froetschi, Wike explained that his
administration, in a bid to recover state assets, had through intelligence
discovered that the Legacy 600 jet purchased by the Dr Peter Odili’s
administration was in Germany.
He said, “When we came into office in 2015, we never had an
idea that our plane was in your facility. It was a matter of asking questions
before we got the information that Legacy 600 belonging to our state is in
RUAG, before General Atomics. We tried to make contact with you and which you
obliged. So, we want to sincerely thank you for not hiding anything from us,
because it is the property of the state government.
“This plane was bought in 2003 by the government of Dr Peter
Odili, and by 2007 he had handed over to the next government which was my
predecessor’s, now, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. While he was in
office, by 2012 this plane was brought here. Reasons we do not know.”
Wike said there is no document indicating that the
state-owned aircraft was flown to Germany and abandoned for inexplicable
reasons.
“The issue is, why was there no documentation to let the
incoming government to know that we have this facility and we sent it to RUAG
for inspection? Again, I do know from experience that inspection of such
facility does not take more than six months. So, if it was brought in 2012,
expectantly at least, by early 2013, the plane ought to have come back for
use,” he said.
The Governor said he had to travel to Munich, Germany, with
a state delegation to prove that the Legacy 600 aircraft has been discovered and
about to be returned to the state government.
Those on the governor’s entourage included, the Speaker
Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani; Deputy Speaker,
Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ehie Ogerenye Edison; Rivers State
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor; member
of House of Representatives, Hon. Ken Chikere; Rivers State chairman, Peoples
Democratic Party, Ambassador Desmond Akawor; Chairman, Ikwerre LGA, Hon. Samuel
Nwanosike among others.
Speaking, the General Manager, Business Development, General
Atomics Aerotec, Markus Froetschi, confirmed that the aircraft was brought to
Germany by the immediate past administration and abandoned since 2012.
The statement continued, “He expressed delight that Governor
Wike took the initiative to repair and return the aircraft to Nigeria for use
by the state government. According to him, his company will be done with
general maintenance work and deliver the aircraft to the State government by
March.
“The Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji
Ibani, said he was elated that the aircraft has been recovered by the state
government. According to him, state lawmakers will continue to support every
effort to recover all government assets and property.”
Similarly, the Deputy Speaker, Rivers State House of
Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ehie Ogerenye Edison, described the abandonment of the
aircraft in Germany as administrative recklessness.
“We are surprised that this is more than seven years that
the aircraft has been here. Their intention we cannot say for such, but it
shows administrative recklessness, and worst of all, there is no proper
documentation to show Rivers government as at then, meant well for Rivers
people,” he said.
According to the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area,
Samuel Nwanosike, considering the brazen manner at which the immediate past
administration sold state valuable assets to their cronies, it was obvious that
the Legacy 600 was surreptitiously flown to Germany to be converted to personal
use.
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