Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Ned Nwoko has accused Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike of squandering N60b of River State refund from the Paris Club.Wike had questioned the payment of $418m consultancy payment made to Prince Nwoko by the government of Nigeria. But Nwoko, fired back in a press statement which he signed himself, saying Wike is corrupt and could spend some time in jail. “Characteristic of the garrulous governor, he carelessly dabbled again into the issue of the $418 million consultancy payments for Paris Club refunds, a legitimate entitlement of Prince Ned Nwoko, whose patriotic ingenuity, as a time-honoured lawyer, secured billions of dollars in favour of local and state governments, including Wike’s administration. “Wike had in illogical imprudence chastised Ned Nwoko for laying claim to monies the international lawyer genuinely earned and approved by the federal government following various federal high court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judgements; federal government and presidential approvals and three separate EFCC reports supporting the payments. ‘Ned Nwoko Media directorate asserts on the contrary that the Rivers State governor received a whopping share of over N60 billion from the Paris Club refunds to states, thanks to the sterner stuff of Prince Ned Nwoko who took the federal government to courts on behalf of the states and local governments over the arbitrary deductions and won. We have infallible evidence that Wike not only collected the huge funds but squandered the proceeds through phantom projects and frivolous travels around the world in crude obscene ego trips.” Nwoko added that Wike is spending Rivers money recklessly while their priority projects begging for attention. “We need to remind Wike for the upteempth time, in case he has forgotten, that 25 innocent children on life support machines died in a Rivers State-owned hospital the same hour because the hospital could not afford electricity. He could not provide electricity, having diverted all funds to meaningless ventures for self aggrandizement. At the appropriate time, when his dictatorial reign on the high horse is over, he would surely answer charges of criminal negligence at the International Court of Justice for the sad deaths of those children.”

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