The wife of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, Mrs Judith Amaechi, has denied receiving 4 billion per month from the Niger Delta Development Commission, as claimed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike.
Wike made the claim during a live television interview, claiming that the funds were being transferred to ESI as part of a long-standing agreement with the NDDC.
He also stated that the organisation could have been implicated in the NDDC forensic audit report, which has yet to be made public.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement on Tuesday made available to Chronicle NG by her media aide, 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.
According to Bekwele, ESI and the NDDC have inked memoranda of understanding to jointly fund human capacity development, vocational training, and entrepreneurship support for women and youths in the Niger Delta region.
“These partnerships are transparent and open to public scrutiny. Since inception, our programmes have provided empowerment for thousands of beneficiaries,” he added.
The statement also dismissed the possibility of an indictment in the forensic audit as “a mere figment of imagination”, emphasising ESI’s strong commitment to accountability and sustainable development.
“These initiatives have empowered thousands of beneficiaries and are open to public scrutiny,” the minister stated.
The statement underlined the organisation’s commitment to transparency and ongoing partnership with stakeholders to develop long-term livelihoods for the region’s youth and women.
