FCT Minister Demands Answers Over Abandoned Projects, Questions 24-Year Political Record… Rejects Amaechi’s Claim Linking Mother’s Death to Tinubu’s Policies
PORT HARCOURT — A fresh political battle over the legacy of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has erupted, with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, demanding answers over billions of naira and millions of dollars allegedly committed to projects during Amaechi’s administration.
Wike, speaking at an interactive meeting with the Uzugbani Ekpeye National Executive Council and stakeholders from Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas, turned the spotlight on three controversial areas of the former governor’s record: the $39.2 million Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital, the N68 billion Rivers State monorail project, and an anti-malaria fumigation programme involving Cuba.
The intervention came shortly after Amaechi appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the Federal Government over project delivery and challenged the administration to identify major projects it had completed.
Wike’s response was effectively a challenge of his own: before demanding an account from the present administration, what happened to some of the major projects and public funds committed during Amaechi’s eight years as governor?
At the centre of Wike’s challenge is the Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital project.
Wike questioned what became of the funds reportedly paid to the contractor after the project failed to materialise as expected.
The issue is not entirely new. A judicial commission established by the Rivers State Government under Wike previously examined the reported payment of $39.2 million to a contractor in connection with the hospital project and the failure to complete the facility.
That history raises questions that remain politically potent:
How much was actually paid? Who received the funds? What work was completed? What became of the money after the project stalled? And what did the relevant investigations ultimately establish?
These are questions that require documentary answers rather than political rhetoric.
Wike also reopened the file on the Rivers State monorail, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects launched under Amaechi.
The project was conceived as a major urban transportation initiative for Port Harcourt, but its incomplete status has remained a subject of controversy.
Wike is now demanding an account of the project and the huge public expenditure associated with it.
For taxpayers, the question is straightforward: what did Rivers State get for the money committed to the project?
The answer matters because major infrastructure projects are not merely political monuments. They are public investments, funded ultimately by government revenues and expected to deliver measurable benefits to citizens.
Wike also questioned an anti-malaria fumigation programme reportedly carried out with Cuban partners.
According to reports, he alleged that about $10 million was spent on the initiative and sarcastically asked whether mosquitoes had stopped biting residents of Rivers State.
The allegation, however, should be separated from the evidence.
The important investigative questions are: What was the approved cost of the programme? What services were contracted? Who were the beneficiaries? What measurable results were recorded? And was the expenditure properly accounted for?
Those records would provide a clearer picture than political accusations from either side.
The latest confrontation carries additional weight because Wike and Amaechi were once political allies.
Wike served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff during the latter’s tenure as Rivers governor before their political relationship deteriorated.
Wike now argues that Amaechi spent eight years as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, eight years as governor and eight years as Minister of Transportation—a total of 24 years in major public leadership positions—and is challenging his former political ally to point to tangible projects and political empowerment delivered to the Ekpeye area during those years.
He also questioned Amaechi’s electoral influence in Rivers State, challenging his supporters to identify an election he has won in the state since their political separation.
Wike also took issue with Amaechi’s recent claim that economic policies under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu contributed to his mother’s death by making medication unaffordable.
Amaechi reportedly said during a television interview that the rising cost of medicines made it increasingly difficult for him to obtain medication for his mother, who died in July 2026.
Wike rejected the argument, pointing to Amaechi’s long record in public office and questioning how the former governor could attribute his mother’s death to the economic consequences of Tinubu’s policies.
But beyond the political exchange lies a broader national issue: the rising cost of healthcare and medicines has become a serious concern for Nigerian families, and the political argument over Amaechi’s personal experience should not obscure the wider affordability crisis.
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT?
The latest accusations should not end with political speeches.
If public funds were committed to projects that were abandoned, Nigerians deserve to know how much was approved, how much was paid, who received the money, what was delivered and why the projects failed.
And if the projects were properly executed or the expenditures were justified, the records should equally speak for themselves.
For Amaechi, the political challenge is now clear: provide the documents, explain the projects and answer the questions.
For Wike, the same standard of accountability should apply to every administration—including his own.
Because ultimately, Rivers State taxpayers—not politicians—paid the bills.
Conti News will continue to follow the paper trail behind major public projects and government spending. Our focus is not on political loyalty but on the facts, the documents and the public interest.
What do you think?
Should former public officials be required to publicly account for major projects and expenditures after leaving office? Share your views in the comment section.
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