Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has strongly refuted allegations made by Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, that she received N4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for empowerment programmes.
Okay.ng reports that Wike made the claims during a recent television appearance, where he accused Mrs Amaechi of mismanaging massive sums purportedly paid to her by the NDDC through her non-governmental organisation, the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI).
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to release the long-delayed NDDC forensic audit report, alleging it contained incriminating details.
But in a sharp response on Tuesday, Dame Amaechi, through her media aide Dike Bekwele, dismissed the allegations as “baseless, false, and politically motivated.”
“There is absolutely no iota of truth in the allegation made by Mr. Wike against Dame Amaechi and the Empowerment Support Initiative. She did not and has never received N4 billion monthly from the NDDC,” the statement read.
She emphasized that ESI, incorporated in 2011, has functioned transparently as a development-focused NGO, collaborating with agencies like the NDDC based on verifiable Memoranda of Understanding, and not personal payments or political favors.
“These partnerships were aimed at youth and women empowerment across the Niger Delta through vocational training and entrepreneurship initiatives, all of which were publicly documented and transparently executed,” Bekwele added.
Dame Amaechi further noted that no part of the yet-unpublished NDDC audit report indicts her or her organisation. She labeled Wike’s claim of wrongdoing based on the report as “a figment of his imagination.”
“It is preposterous for Mr. Wike to allege any indictment in a report that has not even been made public,” the statement continued.
Challenging Wike to produce any evidence from the forensic audit implicating her or the ESI, Mrs Amaechi demanded an immediate retraction, a public apology, and even went a step further to urge the FCT Minister to resign his position.
“We advise Mr. Wike to refrain from making false and inflammatory statements that bring Nigeria’s image to disrepute,” the statement warned. “Such conduct is harmful to the country’s reputation, especially as we seek to attract foreign investment.”
