Mrs. Judith Amaechi, Wife of former Minister of Transportation
Former Rivers State First Lady, and wife of former Minister of Transportation, Mrs. Judith Amaechi, on Tuesday dismissed as “completely untrue”, an allegation by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, that her organisation, the Empowerment Support Initiative, (ESI) received ₦48 billion at four billion Naira monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to train Rivers women.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Wike made the allegation during a live interview on Channels Television programme, Politics Today on Friday July 4, 2025, in reaction to Amaechi’s comments on the same channel on Thursday.
Debunking his predecessor’s claim that his wife was almost like an industrialist, the former Rivers State governor said, “First of all, Amaechi’s wife was not an industrialist at the time; the best I know. And that’s why I’ve called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the forensic audit of the NDDC.
“Through Amaechi’s wife’s company, N4 billion was being received every month to train Niger Delta women. That’s N48 billion a year. The forensic report is there”.
But refuting the allegation in a statement on Tuesday, the former first lady’s media aide, Dike Bekwele, described Wike’s claims as “false and baseless”.
Bekwele asserted that neither his principal nor her ESI organisation had ever received such funds from the NDDC.
According to the statement, “The allegation that ESI receives ₦4 billion monthly from NDDC is completely untrue. ESI was established in 2011 as a duly incorporated non-governmental organisation focused on empowering youths and women through skills acquisition and entrepreneurial development”.
Bekwele explained that ESI’s collaboration with the NDDC was based on signed Memoranda of Understanding for jointly funding human capacity development, vocational training, and entrepreneurial support for women and youths in the Niger Delta region, adding, “These partnerships are transparent and open to public scrutiny. Since inception, our programmes have provided empowerment for thousands of beneficiaries”.
On Mrs. Amaechi’s alleged indictment in the forensic audit alluded to by Wike, Bekwele described it as “a mere figment of imagination”, emphasising that ESI maintained a strong commitment to accountability and sustainable development.
While noting that “These initiatives have empowered thousands of beneficiaries and are open to public scrutiny”, Bekwele underscored the organisation’s commitment to transparency and continued collaboration with stakeholders to create sustainable livelihoods for youths and women in the region.