An erstwhile Agriculture Commissioner under the Rotimi Amaechi-led administration in Rivers State, Hon. Emma Chinda, has faulted Governor Nyesom Wike’s claims on the Legacy 600 Aircraft belonging to the state that was abandoned in Germany for over 10 years.
Chinda, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and a strong ally of Amaechi, who is now the Minister of Transportation, noted that the said aircraft had full documentation before the then administration in the state allowed it to be moved.
Chinda speaking in Port Harcourt said the plane was approved and taken to Germany for maintenance purposes, adding that the present administration was only interested in playing politics with every situation.
He noted that Governor Wike was sounding politically order than being critical, noting that the governor’s delegation had no aeronautical expert if the visit was purposeful, rather only his political associates travelled with him (Wike).
Chinda said: “He (Wike) has been talking about Rivers State plane for the past four years now, as usual, what he did was to take his comity of friends to use tax payers’ money as they have always done, to go for their meeting.
“If it is not so, tell me which aviation expert was in that delegation he took to Germany. What you see there is a group of politicians for his ‘Wike for President’ or for Governors’ comity of friends.
“When we were in government, that aircraft got bad and it was taken overseas for repairs. I don’t know how long it would have taken to come back, but there was proper documentation done before it was taken out of the country.
“It wouldn’t have been successfully taken out of the country without documentation. Proper documentation was done that was how Wike was able to trace it to that place.
“The aircraft was bad and was sent for maintenance. Aircraft is not a taxi that you handle anyhow. It went for maintenance and there was proper documentation. It is the property of Rivers State government and that is why the authorities of those in Germany told that it belonged to Rivers State government and was on maintenance.”
