The wife of former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, Mrs. Judith Amaechi, has refuted a claim made by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, that the Niger Delta Development Commission gave her outfit, the Empowerment Support Initiative, 4 billion per month.
In a live television interview, Wike had stated that the money was going to ESI in accordance with a long-standing agreement with the NDDC.
Join our WhatsApp community
He added that the NDDC forensic audit report, which has not yet been released to the public, may have included indictments against the organisation.
Responding to the allegation in a statement on Tuesday by her media aide, Dr. Dike Bekwele, Mrs Amaechi described the claims as “false and baseless,” insisting that neither she nor ESI had ever received such funds from the interventionist agency.
“The allegation that ESI receives ₦4 billion monthly from NDDC is completely untrue. ESI was established in 2011 as a duly incorporated non-governmental organisation focused on empowering youths and women through skills acquisition and entrepreneurial development,” the statement read.
The partnership between ESI and the NDDC, according to Bekwele, is founded on signed Memorandums of Understanding for the joint financing of entrepreneurial support, vocational training, and human capacity development for women and youth in the Niger Delta.
“These partnerships are transparent and open to public scrutiny. Since inception, our programmes have provided empowerment for thousands of beneficiaries,” he added.
Join our WhatsApp community
The statement further dismissed the suggestion of an indictment in the forensic audit as “a mere figment of imagination,” stressing that ESI maintains a strong commitment to accountability and sustainable development.
“These initiatives have empowered thousands of beneficiaries and are open to public scrutiny,” he added.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
