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.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
