Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused Judith Amaechi, wife of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, of receiving N48 billion in contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for a questionable women empowerment programme.
Wike made the allegations during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he urged President Bola Tinubu to make public the long-awaited forensic audit report of the NDDC.
According to Wike, the audit report details how Judith Amaechi’s company allegedly received N4 billion monthly from the commission under the guise of training women in the Niger Delta—totaling N48 billion in one year.
He claimed that the report had been suppressed by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to shield those implicated.
“Who buried the report? Malami did—just to protect the people involved,” Wike said. “Mr. President should do Nigerians a favour and release that document.”
The audit, ordered by the Buhari administration, was meant to expose decades of mismanagement, fraud, and abandoned projects in the NDDC from 2001 to 2019.
Wike said he is ready to step down as FCT Minister if the audit fails to substantiate his claims.
“If what I said isn’t in the report, I will resign. I don’t cling to any office,” he declared.
The FCT Minister also took a swipe at Rotimi Amaechi, dismissing his criticisms and questioning the basis of his wife being referred to as an “industrialist.”
“She became wealthy through the NDDC contract, not from any industry,” Wike claimed, asserting that his own political career predates any alliance with Amaechi.
“I was elected chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government in 1998. That was long before I even knew him,” he said.
Wike further mocked Amaechi’s claims of seniority, stating, “Respect should be based on honour, not age. You don’t earn respect just because you’re 200 years old.”