Written request of N30 billion made by former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi is missing from the records of the State House of Assembly. Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly,
Sir Emmanuel Ogele, made the revelation on Friday while testifying before the judicial commission of inquiry investigating the sale of valued assets belonging to the state.
To authenticate the written request by the former governor and the resolution of the House which approved the request of the governor to withdraw N30bn from the Rivers State Reserve Fund, Ogele had to depose to an affidavit, on September 2, 2015, at the Rivers State high court, in Port Harcourt, claiming that the written request from former Governor Amaechi was, indeed, missing from the records of the Assembly.
Ogele stated in response to a question from the counsel to the commission, Dr. Zaccheus Adangor: “I have made concerted effort to locate the written request all to no avail. I have also contacted some of the lawmakers who were present during the deliberations, but none of them has a copy. “I also contacted the director of legal services who said that she also does not have it.?
“We were then operating form government house. So, our packing and repacking of our documents now and then could have contributed greatly to what have happened.
“It is not unlikely that we might have lost the document through that process. None of the law makers that participated in passing the resolutions that empowered the former governor to access that Reserve Fund returned to the House of Assembly and this had made it even more difficult in contacting the former legislators in order to get a copy of the former governor’s written request,” he said.
The former governor made the written request, on Thursday, February 13, 2014, asking the House of Assembly to grant him the authority to withdraw N30bn from the Rivers State Reserve Fund. The House of Assembly granted the request by virtue of a unanimous House resolution, on February 14, 2014.
On the same day, the House of Assembly granted former Governor Amaechi another written request of N5bn, bringing the total amount the House Assembly approved for governor Amaechi to N35bn. On October 20, the House of Assembly approved via a resolution the written request of the former governor to withdraw the sum of N19bn from the Rivers State Reserve Fund.
The fourth written request by former Governor Amaechi was made on May 18, 2015, for N1 billion In all, the Rivers State House of Assembly approved N55bn in 15 months through four written requests from former Governor Amaechi which were unanimously approved by four distinct resolutions of the House of Assembly and this had made it even more difficult in contacting the former legislators in order to get a copy of the former governor’s written request,” he said.
The former governor made the written request, on Thursday, February 13, 2014, asking the House of Assembly to grant him the authority to withdraw N30bn from the Rivers State Reserve Fund.
The House of Assembly granted the request by virtue of a unanimous House resolution, on February 14, 2014. On the same day, the House of Assembly granted former Governor Amaechi another written request of N5bn, bringing the total amount the House Assembly approved for governor Amaechi to N35bn.
On October 20, the House of Assembly approved via a resolution the written request of the former governor to withdraw the sum of N19bn from the Rivers State Reserve Fund. The fourth written request by former Governor Amaechi was made on May 18, 2015, for N1 billion
In all, the Rivers State House of Assembly approved N55bn in 15 months through four written requests from former Governor Amaechi which were unanimously approved by four distinct resolutions of the House of Assembly
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