By Muhammad Mamman
Judith Amaechi, wife of former Nigerian Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, has strongly denied allegations made by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that she received £4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for women’s empowerment and training initiatives. Mrs Amaechi also dismissed Wike’s assertion that she was implicated in a corruption investigation concerning the NDDC, labelling the claims as “baseless” and a “calculated attempt at political blackmail.”
Both Nyesom Wike and Rotimi Amaechi previously served as governors of Rivers State, a key oil-producing region in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Amaechi held office from May 2007 to May 2015, succeeded by Wike, who governed for eight years. Their once-shared political alliance has since deteriorated, leading to public disputes and mutual accusations.
In an interview earlier this month, Wike alleged that Judith Amaechi received £4 billion monthly, totalling £48 billion, to fund training programmes for women in the Niger Delta. In response, Mrs Amaechi’s spokesperson, Dike Bekwele, issued a statement on Tuesday, categorically rejecting these claims.
“Dame Judith Amaechi has never received payments amounting to four billion naira (£4,000,000,000) per month from the Niger Delta Development Commission,” the statement clarified. It explained that the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI), associated with Mrs Amaechi, maintains a cooperative partnership with the NDDC to co-fund capacity-building programmes, including training for women and youths, and support for nano, micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises in the Niger Delta.
The statement further addressed Wike’s claim of an indictment in an NDDC forensic audit, calling it “preposterous” and noting that no such audit report has been made public. “These allegations are entirely unfounded and appear to be a figment of Mr Wike’s imagination,” it added.
Mrs Amaechi challenged Wike to produce the forensic audit report implicating her or the ESI. “Should Mr Wike fail to provide evidence of such a report, we call on him to honour his claims by tendering his resignation as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and issuing an unreserved apology to the nation,” the statement concluded.
This response underscores Mrs Amaechi’s commitment to transparency and her rejection of what she describes as politically motivated allegations.
