I Have Never Owed Salaries – Amaechi

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The Rivers State Governor, Rotimi  Amaechi, has addressed the allegations against him that he has been funding the presidential campaign of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, despite owing salaries of workers in his state.

Amaechi condemned the situation whereby Nigerians are told what he refereed to as lies about his administration of Rivers State, without any demand for facts to back their claims.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, “One young man, I doubt if he comes to Rivers State (as) he probably lives in Abuja, made the allegation that we have not paid teachers for eight months.

“We started paying December salaries yesterday (December 22) and we’ll finish today because the instruction was that they should make sure that no civil servant left for Christmas without his December salary.

“How can a young man who doesn’t have the statistics come here and say that?”

Governor Amaechi further said, “Some PDP states are owing. I can name them if you want me to, but I’m not sure if there’s any APC state that is owing salary.

“Now I have an appointment as the DG of Buhari campaign, I will not make a careless statement that I have no facts on.

“A Presidential Spokesman comes forward again yesterday and makes a statement about funding the campaign by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and at the same time saying we are owing eight months salary. He had no facts.

“I have never owed salaries, whether (of) teachers or cleaners.”

This feat, he credited to his dynamism as Governor of the state, in fighting corruption and thereby raising the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state, which he claimed previous administrations fed on.

He added that the Federal Government should take responsibility for the poor situation in the states.

On his role as the Director-General of General Muhammadu Buhari’s Campaign Organisation, Governor Amaechi said that funding would be solely dependent on the contributions from Nigerians, as the All Progressives Congress, APC, cannot match the PDP financially.