FACT-CHECK: How true is Wike’s claim that his administration never received more than N200bn in any year as Rivers governor?

A former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has claimed that his then administration in Rivers never received more than N200billion in any particular year from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) while he was governor for eight years.

“Money can make you not see well—the kind of money the governors have now, we never saw it. That’s why most of them make mistakes. They think everything is about money.

“In all my life as governor for eight years. I have never received from the federation account throughout one year. I have never received more than N200 billion,” Mr Wike, who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, said while briefing some journalists on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

“Never! The records are there. And so most of them are blindfolded, and I tell people money has its own limitations. It is not everything that you think money would work. No,” he added.

The minister said that the post–fuel subsidy windfall under President Bola Tinubu’s administration was responsible for “fiscal recklessness” by some governors.

The context
Mr Wike’s comment came amid a renewed political rift with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, whose reported second-term ambition he opposes.

The fallout between Messrs Fubara and Wike had pushed Rivers into one of Nigeria’s most complex political crises in recent history. It defied two presidential interventions, split the House of Assembly into rival factions, led to the burning of local government secretariats, and resulted in deaths, including that of a security operative.

Apparently, to shake off the minister’s overbearing influence in the Rivers chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Fubara defected from the PDP to the APC, a move that has reshaped the state’s power dynamics.

The facts
Available FAAC data compiled by BudgIT, a civic organisation, contradict Mr Wike’s claim of not receiving more than N200 billion in any particular year when he was Rivers governor.

According to the records, Rivers State received the following FAAC allocations under Mr Wike’s second term in office: 2019: N169 billion; 2020: N149 billion; 2021: N170 billion; 2022: N293 billion; 2023: N339 billion.

It is worthy to note that 2022 was Mr Wike’s last full year in office, and Rivers State received N293 billion from FAAC—far above the N200 billion ceiling he claimed was never crossed.

The Verdict – False
The BudgIT figures for Rivers clearly show that Mr Wike’s administration received well over N200 billion in at least one year. His categorical assertion that this never happened during his eight-year tenure is not supported by verifiable data.

Why this matters
Mr Wike’s comment came against the backdrop of an intense political battle with Governor Fubara, whom he accuses of poor judgement and political disloyalty. By downplaying the scale of funds available during his own tenure, Mr Wike appears to be framing a moral argument against current governors, while rewriting fiscal history.

In a polity where public trust is fragile, precision with facts matters—especially when numbers are deployed as political weapons. On this claim, the record is clear: the numbers do not agree with Mr Wike’s claim.

(Premium Times)