Rivers Tackles Ned Nwoko over Attack on Wike

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Government has criticised an alleged verbal attack on its State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, by a former member of Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Ned Nwoko, following a suit filed by the Governors Forum stopping him (Nwoko) from demanding $418 million, Paris Club refund.

A statement that was issued yesterday by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Chris Finebone, said that “the attention of the Rivers State government has been drawn to repeated caustic verbal attacks on Gov. Nyesom Wike by a former lawmaker and businessman, Mr. Ned Nwoko.

“For the benefit of those who may be at sea why Nwoko has embarked on his voyage of unwarranted attacks on Gov. Wike, it has to be said that Ned Nwoko is reeling and riling due to the agitation and legal action by some governors, of which Gov. Wike was one, that effectively stopped the attempt to fleece the commonwealth of Nigerians to the tune of $418 million over the Paris Club refund to some consultants led by Ned Nwoko.

“It would be recalled that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, asked the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to release $418 million to Linas International Ltd, a company owned by Ned Nwoko, and other consultants over the Paris Club refund saga.

“It is understandable that since the botched attempt to swindle states of Nigeria of that whopping sum of $418 million for a bogus and unverifiable service purported to have been rendered around the Paris Refund years back by Ned Nwoko and others, the former lawmaker and businessman has resorted to throwing tantrums at Gov. Wike at the slightest opportunity even when the former lacks proper understanding of the issues in question.

“The only conclusion to be made is that Ned Nwoko is bitter that Gov. Wike and his fellow governors effectively stopped him (Nwoko) and others from fleecing Nigeria to the tune of $418 million.

“Ned Nwoko appears to have particularly become the most bitter that he was stopped from obtaining free money to finance his passion for marrying little girls who tickle his fancy every now and then a passion he has taken beyond the boundaries of Nigeria and therefore has become insatiable for money.”

The Rivers State Government, however, “challenged Nwoko to make public the details of the kind of business he does apart from seeking spurious deals around government corridors to finance his passion.”