A former Rivers State Commissioner for Transport under the administration of Governor Rotimi Amaechi has faulted the claims by Governor Nyesom Wike that he discovered an abandoned aircraft in Germany.
Wike had on Tuesday announced the discovery of a Legend 600 aircraft allegedly abandoned in Germany since 2012 without any documentation.
Reacting to the claims, Tolofari George, the ex commissioner of transport said the state asset was properly documented in his handover note in 2015 when the current administration came on board.
The former commissioner said the aircraft was flown to Germany for repairs and sales after the state acquired a new one since it could not maintain two.
He said the aircraft was still in Germany when they handed over to the Wike administration, which he said was also contained in the handover note by the Ministry of Transport.
The former commissioner said the claims by the state governor is aimed at maligning the character of Amaechi, now Minister of Transport.
According to him “When we got the new aircraft that the current government is using now, the older Legacy aircraft was sent to Germany for repairs and refurbishment and then to be sold to generate revenue for critical infrastructural projects in the state. To the previous administration, there was no economic sense to keep and maintain two state planes. The cost was just too prohibitive, so the plan was to sell off the older Legacy plane.
“The plane was still in Germany at the time we handed over to the incoming administration. Everything was in the handover notes of the ministry of transport.
“We can now all see that the issue is purely political and vindictive, hurling false allegations on the previous administration.
“That the Legacy aircraft was in RUAG, Germany was written in my handover notes that is in the custody of the Rivers state government”.
