*Amaechi Earmarks N27b For 250 Model Schools

By Oguwike Nwachuku, Editor, Sunday

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are now in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital in furtherance of investigation into the N5 billion Constituency projects funds allegedly misappropriated by the State lawmakers.

Speaker Tonye Harry and his Majority Leader, Chidi Lloyd were among 28 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had been interrogated by the EFCC in connection with the said fund.

Sunday Independent can confirm that the operatives were detailed to move into the oil rich state by the authorities in order to have first hand information of the projects in question.

Sources told this newspaper on Thursday that apart from the lawmakers who are serving their first term in office, the majority of them have been in office since the regimes of former governors Peter Odili and Celestine Omehia.

An official of the EFCC told Sunday Independent that the cost of some of the projects was enormously inflated, hence the Commission was determined to get at all those who played one role or the other in both the award and execution.

Last week, we reported exclusively that the money was released to the lawmakers as constituency projects fund by the Executive, but they allegedly misappropriated it.

Though there were insinuations that governor Rotimi Amaechi may have reported the matter to the EFCC, his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, David Iyofor had dispelled the insinuation. "You know that that cannot be true and you also know that the Legislature is an independent entity," he had said.

Iyofor had also maintained that he was not competent to speak on matters affecting the Assembly which he said, "is completely independent of the Executive."

Sunday Independent gathered that rather than the lawmakers execute the projects, some of them turned themselves to contractors while others were said to have completely abandoned the projects.

"They allegedly collected the money without executing the projects for which it was meant," an EFCC official said, adding that, "the lawmakers also made themselves the contractors where the projects are executed at all."

"That way, the few projects they have carried out are of sub-standard and cannot account for the huge amount of money released for them," he said.

A source close to the Commission's Intelligent Unit told this newspaper on Thursday that the EFCC chairman, Farida Waziri was hopeful the investigation would yield the desired result.

On June 29, the Rivers State Speaker and the Majority Leader were quizzed extensively by operatives of the EFCC while on June 30, 12 other members took their turns.

Thirteen other members were interrogated on July 1, while one member took his turn on July 3.

The source who said the commission was still verifying the projects, however, added that out of 32 members of the Rivers State Assembly, 28 have so far been quizzed while two are on course abroad and two others indisposed.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi confirmed the recent development on Friday, saying the audit of the projects would be total.

He said his men are "carrying out the audit quietly and independently, but with the cooperation of the indigenes and local government areas of Rivers State where the said projects are sited."

Sunday independent also confirmed that most of the lawmakers did not know that the EFCC operatives were already around for the projects audit.

Babafemi said he was not in a position to know how long his men would be in Port Harcourt for the assignment.

Again, the Speaker remained indifferent when he was contacted on Friday through his cell phone. He did a similar thing last week.

Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi is set to take education to another level in the state as he has earmarked N27 billion to build 250 new model primary schools across the State.

Iyofor made the disclosure while speaking to Sunday Independent on Friday on what his boss is doing in the educational sector in the state.

"These new primary schools are being built across the entire state, a minimum of 10 in each of the 23 Local Government Areas in the state. On completion, each of the schools will have a well-stocked library and Internet facility. They will be truly modern schools and we are looking at 25 pupils per classroom," Iyofor said.

He further disclosed that about half of these schools are ready while the others would soon be completed. His words: "We are already working on 250 of these model primary schools each of which contains 20 classrooms. A huge number of the schools are completed and others nearing completion. Our target is to deliver 750 Model Primary schools before the end of this administration."

Sunday Independent also learnt that the government is building 23 Model Secondary Schools spread across the state. According Iyofor, "each of these schools will take 1,000 students and 25 students in each classroom as stipulated by the United Nations while the hostels will be built to accommodate two students per room. Each of the rooms will have its own toilet and bath."

Iyofor also revealed that "over N3 billion will be spent on each of the 23 new model secondary schools." He said the land area for each of the schools is estimated to be about 21 hectares.

"In the riverine areas we are looking at between 16 to 18 hectares each due to land unavailability in these areas," he said.

On the ongoing construction of the new Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Iyofor said "the school is being relocated to a 150-hectare ultra-modern campus with the capacity of accommodating about 60,000 or more students. 32 hostels of eight floors each will be built to accommodate all students putting an end to the era of non accommodation for some students in the institution."