Former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has reacted to the allegation by Chidi Wihioka that the denied Rivers people the opportunity to have Dangote Refinery situated in the state.
Amaechi told his ally, and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party, nPDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, that Dangote had already started the construction of his refinery in Lagos State when he visited Port Harcourt.
Amaechi said the purpose of Dangote’s visit was to ask for a land to build a gas plant and not a refinery as Wihioka portrayed.
The ex governor’s response came as concerned citizens expressed concern over his silence to the accusation made on national television by Wihioka.
Wihioka, a former federal lawmaker, had said that Amaechi denied Rivers State the opportunity of hosting Dangote Refinery because of the former Governor’s personal demand to the businessman before approving a land for the mega project.
The former lawmaker, who represented Ikwerre/Emohua Constituency in the House of Representatives, said Dangote left and never returned because of Amaechi’s personal demands.
Some Rivers elders such as Chief Bob Wali, had urged Amaechi to clear the air on the allegation by Wihioka, and in reaction through a text to Eze, Amaechi said, he willingly obliged Dangote by showing him a befitting place opposite the Onne Seaport for his gas plant construction.
According to him, sadly, Dangote never returned to build the gas plant after he gave him land and he[Amaechi] never asked for anything from the businessman.
“I never asked Dangote for anything. I gave him land opposite the Onne seaport. He had already commenced construction of the refinery in Lagos but wanted land for a gas plant.”
