Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Austin-Tam George, has expressed shock that former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi expended N82 million to host Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka to a 3-hour dinner at a period he refused to pay workers’ salaries.
Addressing Government House, Port Harcourt correspondents on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, Dr. Tam George said that the figures were contained in the handover note prepared by the former Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Information and Communication under the Amaechi administration.
He said a government that did not only refuse to pay salaries and also closed the courts had the courage to expend N82million to fund a dinner for Prof Wole Soyinka.
“These are facts on ground. The Amaechi administration expended the money under the heading of borrowed funds.”
The Information Commissioner said: “There is a massive propaganda machine out there misinforming the people about the policy direction of Governor Wike’s administration. They have to respect the will of the people. Instead, they go about spreading falsehood against the people of the state.”
He charged the newsmen to emphasize the developmental achievements of Governor Wike with facts because Rivers State is currently dealing with a “disastrous legacy of abandoned projects” by the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.
Dr. George who noted that the Wike administration is currently facing a combination of “ 85% information war” and “political fundamentalism” also said the APC seeking to establish a “political caliphate” in Rivers State, by installing Dr. Dakuku who is a fake political candidate of the APC.
The Commissioner also described those who said Wike’s government is serving only Ikwerre interests as talking “anthropological nonsense” because he is running an all- inclusive of government of indigenes from the 23 LGAs of Rivers State.
