Amaechi’s Wife Dismisses ₦4 Billion Monthly NDDC Payout Claim, Challenges Wike to Publish Audit Report

Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has firmly denied recent allegations that she received ₦4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for women’s empowerment programmes. The allegations were made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, during a media appearance earlier in July.

According to iReporter Online, Wike had claimed that Mrs. Amaechi collected a total of ₦48 billion from the NDDC and insinuated that the organization, and by extension the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) — a non-governmental initiative founded by Mrs. Amaechi — was implicated in the yet-to-be-published NDDC forensic audit.

In a strongly worded statement issued through her spokesperson, Dike Bekwele, Mrs. Amaechi described the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated,” insisting that she had never received such funds. She asserted that Wike’s claims amounted to “subtle blackmail aimed at scoring cheap political points.”

The statement emphasized that the partnership between the ESI and the NDDC was strictly collaborative and aimed at promoting human capital development through support for micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises, as well as training programs for women and youths in the Niger Delta region.

She challenged the FCT Minister to publicly release the forensic audit report in which either she or her organization was allegedly indicted. In the absence of such evidence, she demanded that Wike resign from office and issue a public apology to Nigerians.

“The Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) has never been indicted, nor has Dame Judith Amaechi received any ₦4 billion monthly payments from the NDDC,” the statement reiterated, adding that any such accusation is “absurd, unfounded, and a fabrication of Wike’s imagination.”

Mrs. Amaechi further called on the public to disregard the accusations until verifiable evidence is presented, insisting that transparency and accountability remain core values of the initiatives she supports.