The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as shocking and wicked, the many cases of diversion of funds meant for the rehabilitation of dilapidated public schools in the state under the administration of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Bro. Felix Obuah, chairman of the State PDP made this observation while reacting to the published list of persons invited by the State Senior Secondary Schools Board for explanations over monies received from the immediate past administration under Amaechi but which were not used for the projects so awarded and some, collected without project sites.
The State PDP chairman is more worried that a government that made so much noise about giving the best education to children in Rivers State could condone such recklessness and allowed monies earmarked to renovate schools and provide the right atmosphere for studying frittered away with careless abandon.
While enjoining the state government not to limit its searchlight to the mess in the education sector, Bro. Obuah said this is the kind of fraud the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be going after with a view to recovering the loots and bringing to book the culprits.
The state PDP chairman however, regretted that rather than spread its dragnet for such fraudsters to sanitise the society, the anti-craft agency is busy haunting opponents of the All Progressives Congress (APC), innocent citizens, most of who have spent the better part of their lives in service to the country.
“Notwithstanding the collaboration between those responsible for the parlous state of the public schools and the general looting of Rivers State treasury, and the anti-corruption agents, the Rivers State government should not leave any stone unturned in exposing illegalities discovered anywhere in the state under the administration of Amaechi and those behind them no matter the social status of their perpetrators,” Bro. Obuah argued.
And of those who are yet to be uncovered, the state PDP chairman added: “There should be no hiding place.” He therefore urged all those implicated in the ghost contracts and looting in Rivers State under the Amaechi administration to do the needful, by being ready and willing to refund the stolen funds and save the state further waste of scarce resources on litigations. (News Express)