Wike warns against ‘Political 419’ over Rivers State funds

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that politicians are now manoeuvring to gain access to the ₦600 billion reportedly left in the Rivers State coffers by the former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule in the state.

Wike made the allegation on Saturday evening during a meeting with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

According to the former Rivers governor, the public disclosure of the funds has sparked heightened political interest, attracting politicians from within and outside the state whose primary motivation, he claimed, is financial rather than political solidarity.

Wike alleged that some prominent political figures who recently visited Rivers State and held meetings with Governor Siminalayi Fubara were driven by a desire to access the funds rather than goodwill.

“Given the experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers money,” Wike said.
“If you want to make money in Rivers today, I don’t know how you made the mistake of announcing that there is ₦600bn. That announcement has triggered the interest of some politicians from other states. I know them.”

The FCT minister claimed that the politicians had adopted a familiar strategy of publicly praising the governor—who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC)—while privately positioning themselves to benefit from state resources.

He further alleged that attacking him had become a political tool used by such individuals to curry favour with the current administration.

“So for you to be able to suck part of that ₦600bn, you must say Wike’s time is over,” he said.
“They will abuse Wike, collect their own, and move on.”

Wike also claimed that invoking the President’s name had become another tactic to extract benefits from the state government.

“Anybody who comes to Rivers State now must say the President is happy with you, and they collect,” he alleged.
“They say the President doesn’t see Wike again, they collect. That is political 419.”

He argued that publicly revealing the size of the funds had effectively opened the door for opportunists.

“You opened the whole thing. So people are hanging around, waiting for where to perch,” he said.

The controversy over the ₦600bn first surfaced in November, when the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, disclosed during plenary that Vice Admiral Ibas left the funds in the state treasury upon his exit on September 18, following the lifting of emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu on March 18.

Amaewhule raised the issue while responding to a committee report on the deteriorating condition of public schools in the state, questioning why part of the funds could not be deployed to improve education infrastructure and recruit teachers.

Governor Fubara later confirmed the existence of the funds but clarified that he had left ₦300bn in the treasury before his suspension and met ₦600bn upon his return. He denied allegations of mismanagement and promised to present a detailed account of the funds’ utilisation.

Recent high-profile visits to Rivers State have further fuelled speculation. These include a visit by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, alongside Ministers David Umahi and Balarabe Lawal, who reportedly conveyed President Tinubu’s approval of the governor’s actions.

Similarly, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru recently accompanied Fubara to a project inauguration and urged residents to support both the governor and President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike said such developments followed a familiar political pattern in Rivers State, where perceived access to state funds attracts shifting alliances.

He concluded by commending the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly for adhering to the peace agreement brokered by President Tinubu during the political crisis, stressing that agreements must be honoured to sustain stability in the state.

Very Nigerian.

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