2015 Presidency Ambition Palaver: Looting of Rivers State by a Former Homeless Politician…Rotimi Amaechi Net Worth is $13.8 billion *Lavishes N2billion on Nigeria Governors’ Forum Controversial Election *Secrets behind Amaechi’s wife running Mobile Garrison Petrol Station *Amaechi Fights off impeachment threat, Settles 27 House of Assembly Members *How Pro-Amaechi Lawmakers approved $45m for Governor’s Aircraft *FBI, CIA, EFCC, ICPC Place Rivers State Gov under Radar *Rivers State Govt: “It’s a foreign-registered aircraft which enjoys the status of a US citizen” *His indebtedness before he became Speaker Revealed *‘He Repaid Peter Odilli’s kindness with Evil’-Austin Opara, Ex-Dep. Speaker, House of Reps

2015 Presidency Ambition Palaver:

Looting of Rivers State by a Former Homeless Politician…Rotimi Amaechi Net Worth is $13.8 billion

• Lavishes N2billion on Nigeria Governors’ Forum Controversial Election
• Secrets behind Amaechi’s wife running Mobile Garrison Petrol Station
• Amaechi Fights off impeachment threat, Settles 27 House of Assembly Members
• How Pro-Amaechi Lawmakers approved $45m for Governor’s Aircraft
• FBI, CIA, EFCC, ICPC Place Rivers State Gov under Radar
• Rivers State Govt: “It’s a foreign-registered aircraft which enjoys the status of a US citizen”
• His indebtedness before he became Speaker Revealed
• ‘He Repaid Peter Odilli’s kindness with Evil’–Austin Opara, Ex-Dep. Speaker, House of Reps 

 Quote on Amaechi before he became Speaker: “He was roaming about. He lived with one Arod. He lived with the Agomaz. He lived with Ikechiwo before Dr. Peter Odili picked him and made him a speaker and all that.”

BY SAMSNO SHOAGA/MANAGING EDITOR, CHICAGO

ROTIMI Chibuike Amaechi, Rivers State Governor from all indications is becoming ‘a cat with nine lives.’ Not only is he confronting the spiralling after-effect of the controversial Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), of which the chairmanship position is still in contention with Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State; but he is fighting on all fronts at present as the resonance effect of the on-going face-off between pro-anti Amaechi in River State House of Assembly, if not properly checked may consume him and his administration. His obvious activities to contest Nigeria’s Presidency Election 2015 has led us to uncover his past before been a Speaker as ‘a homeless politician’ who squats in three homes of various Rivers State indigenes before been picked up by Dr. Peter Odili; a former governor of same state whom he allegedly betrayed. As at when he became governor, his net worth is placed at $13.8billion by Forbes Magazine.

His Homeless Experience

Naija Standard gathered that Amaechi now 48 years was a homeless politician who before he became speaker, Rivers State Hose of Assembly squats in 3 homes of Rivers State natives because he could not make ends meet, as life for him then was very excruciating and economically tough. Sources close to these once-bosom friends of Amaechi living next house to where he stayed alleged that this present governor lived from hands to mouth.

Few of these friends where he squatted in PorthHarcourt include: Arod, Agomaz and Ikechiwo who allegedly fed and sheltered Amaechi, until his plight caught the attention of Odili, then sitting governor who ‘picked’ him up, clean him to assume ‘leadership responsibility’ as Speaker, River State House of Assembly.

Secrets behind Amaechi’s wife running Mobile Garrison Petrol Station

Further investigation by Naija Standard revealed that when Austin Opara, was already an elected  member House of Representatives, and had a filling station called Mobile Garrison, Amaechi allegedly inundated Opara then with pleas to hands-off the filling station; which the former consented to, and handed over same to Amaechi’s wife upon the latter’s request. Opara, who was Deputy Speaker reportedly, said “In fact as I left that place I handed over the filling station to his wife, she is still running it till date. Amaechi’s wife….with my equipment still in that place, because Amaechi said he made me and we need to juxtapose and know who made who and who supported who most.”

How he betrayed Peter Odili

Naija Standard investigation confirms that Amaechi’s form of attack is to claim that people are betraying him in self-defense. There is hardly any famous Rivers State indigene that he has not accused of betrayal. Amaechi himself said that Dr. Peter Odili made him what he is, but did he repay Dr. Odili? He put the man before trial in a live television before Nigerians and the whole world and made it in a manner that Odili was accused of all sorts of things, real and imaginary. Amaechi reportedly used to say that nothing will come between him and Odili even when he is in bed with his wife and that whenever Odili calls him, he will shove his wife aside and run to him. The way to show appreciation and gratitude is to put the man on trial. For Amaechi it is power first before anything and he is ready to do anything to hold onto power. No wonder he paste invectives on President Goodluck Jonathan because to him, ambition is first.

An obvious shocked Odili was very surprised at the attitudes of Amaechi, but being an elder statesman, he overlooked the excesses of this former Speaker turned governor. Today, as political analysts are critically appraising events in this once-peaceful state, ‘nemesis’ may have come knocking because “whatsoever a man sows, that he also would receive, press down, shaking together and running over.”

Lavishes N2billion on NGF Election

Insiders at Amaechi-organized Nigeria Governors’ Election (NGF) squealed to Naija Standard that Amaechi unilaterally squandered a princely sum of 2 billion naira to stage the ‘most controversial NGF Election’ which had in attendance 17 governors, and led to formation of another factional NGF Chairmanship separately led by Jang, Governor of Plateau State. This is aside the Peoples Democratic Governors Forum chaired by Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Akwa Ibom State; who is also a member of NGF. These, among other issues, are what sources inside NGF claims angered some governors who swore to ensure Amaechi would not represent them as chairman.

Amaechi Fights off impeachment threat, Settles 27 House of Assembly Members

These same 17 Pro-Amaechi lawmakers approved in a ‘kangaroo way’ the sum of $45 million for Amaechi to purchase the aircraft which he has turned personal property, parked in Germany due to the heat generated by the plane when he brought it to Nigeria from United States. Till date, the governor has refused to bring out in the open the documentation of the plane which he did not register in the name of the state in America, rather allegedly used ‘a proxy name.’ Naija Standard gathered that to wade off impeachment moves with the crisis generated by the lawmakers in Rivers State House of Assembly; where 27 members loyal to the governor were suspended by 5; Amaechi allegedly ‘settles’ his loyal lawmakers by assuring them to do all they can legally to maintain ‘status quo’ so that his own tenure would be secured and would not be afraid of ‘possible removal.’

Amaechi, while speaking when participants of the Senior Executive Course 35 from the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos paid him a visit in Port Harcourt as part of their tour and analysis of the nation’s transformation agenda, confirmed his administration alleged ‘priority misplacement and financial recklessness’ by clearing air on the status of its aircraft, admitting that “it is a foreign-registered aircraft and therefore enjoys the status of a US citizen”, yet with Rivers State tax payers’ money.

Earlier, the Rivers State Government restated that no agency of the federal government has communicated to it the story doing the rounds about the grounding of its aircraft. The aircraft, a Bombardier BD 700 Global Express jet, and its passengers, were first delayed at Akure before officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the aircraft had no valid permit to fly in the Nigerian airspace. The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari, in a press release issued in Port Harcourt said the state was dismayed by statements attributed to officials of different agencies in the aviation sector about the aircraft owned by the state.

Her words: “It is pertinent to note that all of the information and queries about this aircraft have only been through the mass media. The Rivers State Government has not received any communication from the Ministry of Aviation or any of its agencies querying the status of its aircraft even up till this moment.”

Amaechi’s Indebtedness before he became Speaker

Naija Standard can assure you that the indebtedness, carefree and extravagant lifestyle of this incumbent governor of River State made him to allegedly borrow various huge sums of money from some political elites before and while as Speaker which till date had not paid back. Our correspondent gathered that Amaechi collected various sums of money in disguise. Listen to this statement by Opara: “Over one point six (1.6) trillion, the state is owes over N200 billion. You said Amaechi has performed, what is performance? The classroom, those classrooms where… I can tell you the principle behind the award of the classrooms and the health centres. People are saying he has built classrooms and health centres, they were meant to patronise political associates and his loyalists.

“When he came in he needed to arrange contract for his boys. Each of the classroom blocks was awarded for over a hundred and ten (110) million, which is just for about 200 people, ditto the health centres. Do you buy doctors across the counter? Because they build the health centres, where are the doctors, where are the nurses? What of the equipment, where are the teachers for those classrooms? Where is the furniture? He has to do that to patronise his boys and political associates. That was the principle, it wasn’t meant to develop the education sector or the health sector. How many of them are in use today as we speak? He repaid Odili’s kindness with evil.”

On Amaechi’s unpopularity in Rivers State

Opara added: “Clearly, as we speak Amaechi is not a member of PDP, he has been suspended, and he is certainly not a member. Unfortunate for him he’s gone to court, so the matter is in court, he has no business with PDP. The earlier he leaves for another party the better for him and the system, the better for all. But I can assure you that Rivers State is a PDP state and will remain a PDP state. Rivers State does not need Amaechi or PDP does not need Amaechi to win Rivers State certainly. Amaechi is unpopular in Rivers State, that I can tell you and that has been shown in the recent outing, the thanksgiving, the arrival of the Felix Obuah led exco to Rivers State, the inauguration that has shown that Rivers’ people are tired of Amaechi.”

FBI, CIA, EFCC, ICPC Place Amaechi under Radar

Going by our undercover investigations, the embattled Governor of Rivers State is presently placed secretly under the radar of local and foreign security operatives, as Naija Standard gathered that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent and Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have all discreetly been understudying various moves made by Amaechi regarding his ‘financial expenditures and recklessness.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: We shall surely keep you updated on this story.