P/HARCOURT – Rivers state government says it has discovered one of the State’s owned Legacy 600 aircrafts, that was flown to and abandoned in Germany since 2012 by the former Governor Rotimi Amaechi led administration.

The state Governor, Nyesom Wike who made this disclosure said it was unconscionable for the immediate past administration to have “surreptitiously” taken a state owned asset to Germany and abandon same there without any form of documentation.

Governor Wike, who led a delegation of Rivers leaders to General Atomics Aerotec in Munich, Germany, where the aircraft had been abandoned for ten years, said efforts to repair and retrieve the aircraft has cost the State government over Three Million Euros (about N1,403,670,000).

Speaking during a meeting with the General Manager, Business Development, General Atomics Aerotec, Markus Froetschi, Governor Wike explained that his administration in a bid to recover State assets, had through intelligence discovered that the Legacy 600 jet purchased by the Dr. Peter Odili’s administration was in Germany.

“When we came into office in 2015, we never had an idea that our plane was in your facility. It was a matter of asking questions before we got the information that Legacy 600 belonging to our State is in RUAG, before General Atomics. We tried to make contact with you and you obliged. So, we want to sincerely thank you for not hiding anything from us because it is the property of the State government.

“This plane was bought in 2003 by the government of Dr Peter Odili, and by 2007 he had handed over to the next government which was my predecessor, now, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. While he was in office, by 2012 this plane was brought here. Reasons we do not know.”

Governor Wike said there does was no existing document indicating that the State owned aircraft was flown to Germany and abandoned for inexplicable reasons.

“The issue is, why was there no documentation to let the incoming government to know that we have this facility and we sent it to RUAG for inspection? Again, I do know from experience that inspection of such facility does not take more than six months. So, if it was brought in 2012, at least, by early 2013, the plane ought to have come back for use.”

Governor Wike, said he had to travel to Munich, Germany with a state delegation to prove that the Legacy 600 aircraft has been discovered and about to be returned to the State government.

Those on the governor’s entourage included, the Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani; Deputy Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ehie Ogerenye Edison; Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor; member of House of Representatives, Hon. Ken Chikere; Rivers State chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Ambassador Desmond Akawor; Chairman, Ikwerre LGA, Hon. Samuel Nwanosike among others.

The General Manager, Business Development, General Atomics Aerotec, Markus Froetschi, said the aircraft was brought to Germany by the immediate past administration and abandoned since 2012.

He expressed delight that Governor Wike took the initiative to repair and return the aircraft to Nigeria for use by the State government. According to him, his company will be done with general maintenance work and deliver the aircraft to the State government by March.

The Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, said he was elated that the aircraft has been recovered by the State government. According to him, State lawmakers will continue to support every effort to recover all government assets and property.

https://independent.ng/to-retrieve-repair-state-owned-aircraft-abandoned-by-amaechi-in-germany-costs-n1-5b-wike/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook


File Copy -
The Embraer Legacy 600
The Embraer Legacy 600 Cabin and interior
The Embraer Legacy 600 Cockpit and Avionics

wike just got a new jet besides his love for the ikwerre l.g.a chairman is something i have noticed for long but the question is why bring an l.g.a chairman who should be in his office to germany with you or is that part of his job as a l.g.a chairman to inspect planes


is he going to be wikes choice for rivers people coming 2023?

My brother here we have a Nazi sympathizer

20 years old legacy 600 parked spoilt for 10 years to be repaired for almost 4 million dollars is a bad decision

1yr for u to leave office,u remember sey rivers state plane dey germany.

wetin be ur interest?

Wonders shall never end in this country

Too bad how can formal governor abandoned such an asset in Germany without informing the incoming govt for 10 years.
Amaechi need to answer some questions.

I believe selling it wil also cost the governor so much. He has to pay for the parking space occupied by the aircraft for many years.

donbachi:
1yr for u to leave office,u remember sey rivers state plane dey germany.

wetin be ur interest?

Watin dey your head?

chrisxxx:

Watin dey your head?

if u know,na e u dey ask.

What is the economic sense?

I am sure it was not brand new when it was purchased by Sir Odili in 2003. Having abandoned the aircraft since 2012, what is the assurance of its airworthiness after repair.

Wike should simply sell the aircraft and put the money to use in other areas of need.

Oga repair and use. Stop making noise.

I need Facebook account. It must be more than five years old

check,he even forgot his sense there

Anything APC touches dies. Thieves

so u don use money repair am in oda to get it working nd also pocket some loot...


Shebi u for repair am nd resell aw diz one go take add to d state IGR...

Aloota continua

nigerian politicians are wasteful. but then again its not their money

Ok

capo dei capi

Ameachi did everything to mess up Jonathan someone is doing everything to mess him up.Whatever you sow that what you will reap.

Why not sell off the aircraft and use the money for the betterment of the rivers people. There are projects Ameachi started in the state that he should have gone on to complete with that money instead of wasting such huge amount of money on a wasted and rotten aircraft. N1.4Billion just to repair aircraft.

Few takeaways.

1.) Another evidence that PDP and wastage cannot be separated. They don't deserve to come back to power.

2.) Bros is planning on using the plane for next year general elections. He will be traveling from state to state. Big plans.

3.) Wasted taxpayers money to fly politicians to Germany just to see a rotten and forgotten plane.

4.) Rivers people are not bothered about N1.4billion spent on repairs of an airplane that has no value to them.

Very bad of the former governor and current transport minister! Continuity should go on in current government climes!!

Amaechi really squandered River state fund,expecially when he joined APC

Wasteful administrators....all of them....no exceptions. When these nonentities come in power, they do to government facilities what they would never allow in their private businesses.

That's why Peter Obi - despite having his shortcomings - remains a unique administrator to date. People used to call him aka gum because he wasn't wasteful; he never created room for wasting meagre resources.

Zombies are not happy about this but if it was done by Jonas goons, Ebelebe

3exe3:
wike just got a new jet besides his love for the ikwerre l.g.a chairman is something i have noticed for long but the question is why bring an l.g.a chairman who should be in his office to germany with you or is that part of his job as a l.g.a chairman to inspect planes


is he going to be wikes choice for rivers people coming 2023?

That,I tell you is the next Rivers State Governor

Hmm. The culture of wastefulness in government circles in this country is something else.

Ingrate.