Amaechi’s N82 million dinner for Soyinka: Rivers State to ask Nobel Laureate for refund

The Rivers State government has said it will ask Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka for a refund if its investigation establishes that he received money from the N82 million spent by the immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on a 3-hour dinner in Soyinka’s honour.

Information Commissioner Austin Tam-George made the declaration via a radio programme in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, adding that Amaechi did not apply probity and accountability in the handling of state finances.

He also accused the former governor of betraying the trust of the people of Rivers State, asking why Amaechi who couldn’t pay salaries or the stipends of students on scholarship decided to host a 3-hour dinner at the cost of N82 million.

“I will seek the permission of the Governor to formally write Professor Wole Soyinka, a known supporter of Amaechi, if he received part of the N82million spent on a 3-hour dinner hosted for him by the Amaechi administration.

“If he agrees that he received such funds, then he will be compelled to refund same to the coffers of Rivers State. At present, we have presented these details to the Police for investigation and prosecution. We shall also take up this matter as a financial crime against the people of Rivers State.”

“The point of departure between Former Governor Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike was Wike’s commitment to probity and accountability. Governor Wike refused to be part of the financial mismanagement of resources that accrued to the state,” Dr Tam-George told the people of Rivers State.

Source: The Vanguard