Mrs. Judith Amaechi, wife of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, has strongly refuted claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alleging that her non-governmental organisation, Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI), receives ₦4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Wike had made the allegations during a recent televised interview, suggesting that ESI was part of a financial arrangement with the NDDC and might have been named in the yet-to-be-released forensic audit report of the commission.

Mrs. Amaechi, responding through a statement issued on Tuesday by her media aide, Dike Bekwele, described the allegations as “false and baseless,” stating that neither she nor her organisation had ever received such funds.

“The claim that ESI gets ₦4 billion monthly from the NDDC is completely unfounded,” the statement read. “ESI was established in 2011 as a registered NGO with the mission of empowering women and youths through vocational training and skills development.”

Bekwele explained that ESI has partnered with the NDDC on several projects based on formal agreements aimed at supporting human capital development in the Niger Delta. He emphasized that these collaborations are transparent and guided by signed Memoranda of Understanding.

“All projects carried out under these partnerships are open to scrutiny and have positively impacted thousands of beneficiaries across the region,” he added.

The statement also dismissed Wike’s insinuation that ESI may be implicated in the forensic audit report, describing it as “a product of pure imagination.”

Mrs. Amaechi reiterated her organisation’s commitment to accountability, transparency and sustainable empowerment for disadvantaged groups, particularly women and youths in the Niger Delta.