Ortom: Benue denied CBN’s loans for supporting me – Wike

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has promised to expose some persons, who though not in power at the centre, surreptitiously stopped the release of the loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Abia and Benue States.

Wike said that the motive was to punish Governors Samuel Ortom and Okezie Ikpeazu for standing with him to demand the resignation of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

The Governor spoke at the 58th birthday celebration of Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in his country home of Umuobiakwa community in Obingwa Local Government Area on Tuesday.

He said: “I will tell you very soon, how money that was supposed to come to Abia State for my friend to use to develop Abia State was stopped recently by those who think they own this country, by those who think Ikpeazu did not support them. Because Ikpeazu supported me, they went and stopped Abia State from getting the money they are supposed to get to develop Ariara market.

“Okezie Ikpeazu is just governor of Abia State. He is not the owner of Abia State. He is just a symbol of Abia State. Anybody who fights Abia State, you’re not fighting Okezie, you are fighting the people of Abia.”

Wike, who was the special guest of honour at the event, was accompanied by Chief Ayodele Fayose, former Ekiti Governor.

The Governor explained that the CBN loan was a facility made available to every State of the federation, adding that his administration had secured the loan already.

He said: “I will tell all of you, how Abia and Benue states were denied their money that every State had gotten from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“I got it (CBN loan). And anybody who dares to stop my money, they know, I will not take it from them. You can see how people are wicked, they are not in office yet, but they are fighting people, stopping States money.

“Even as we have criticised President Muhammadu Buhari, he has never stopped our money any day, never.”

Wike frowned on some Nigerians, who always carried on as if they were masters over others, and would stop at nothing in daring to treat people as slaves.

The Governor said that nobody could treat him as a slave because, as a Nigerian, he had equal citizen’s status like every other person.