NCSU Slams Rivers Lawmakers Over Alleged N350m Constituency Project Funds .....Accuses Them Of Greed, Hypocrisy

The Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) has strongly criticised members of the Rivers State House of Assembly over the alleged collection of N350 million each for constituency projects, describing the action as a clear display of insatiable greed, hypocrisy and lack of integrity.

The Rivers State Chairman of the union, Comrade Chukwuka Richman Osumah, made the remarks during an interview in Port Harcourt, where he accused the lawmakers of collecting huge sums of public funds without executing the projects for which the money was reportedly released.

According to Osumah, the alleged collection of the funds without due appropriation and budgetary approval strips the lawmakers of the moral and legal standing to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara. He noted that the impeachment notice served on the governor was partly premised on allegations of spending state funds without legislative approval.

“The lawmakers lack the locus standi to accuse the governor of financial impropriety when they themselves allegedly collected N350 million each without proper approval and failed to execute the constituency projects tied to the funds,” Osumah said.

He argued that the action of the lawmakers raises serious questions about their sincerity and credibility, especially as they seek to remove both the governor and his deputy from office. Osumah described as alarming the lawmakers’ reported claim that the N350 million allocated to each of them was “grossly inadequate” to execute the constituency projects.

“If they knew the funds were! insufficient, why did they collect them in the first place?” he queried. “The reasonable conclusion is that the funds were pocketed, with the confidence that there would be no consequences.”

Osumah alleged that by their actions, the lawmakers are themselves guilty of corruption and gross misconduct, the same offences they have levelled against Governor Fubara, thereby exposing what he described as blatant hypocrisy.

He further pointed to claims by one of the legislators that Governor Fubara’s refusal to release an additional N650 million to each lawmaker, meant to bring the total constituency project allocation to N1 billion, was a major trigger for the impeachment move. According to Osumah, this admission clearly shows that the impeachment process is driven by personal interests, vendettas and financial considerations rather than the public good.

“The revelation shows that the impeachment is not about accountability or governance, but about unmet personal expectations,” he said.

Osumah also expressed outrage over reports that the lawmakers allegedly received Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in addition to the N350 million from the former Sole Administrator of the state, retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas. He described the development as an insult to the collective intelligence of the people of Rivers State, noting that the lawmakers did not question the source or approval of the funds used to procure the vehicles.

“Knowing that those funds were neither approved nor budgeted for, their acceptance of the vehicles makes them complicit in the very offences they are accusing the governor of committing,” he stated.

He urged the lawmakers to retrace their steps and engage in self-reflection, stressing that they must first cleanse themselves of what he termed an “insatiable quest for filthy lucre” before claiming the moral authority to impeach the governor and his deputy.

Osumah concluded by saying that recent disclosures, particularly by Hon. Ignatius Obenachi Onwuka, who represents Etche Constituency I in the House of Assembly, have further exposed the underlying motives behind the lawmakers’ actions against Governor Fubara, calling on them to act in the interest of the state rather than personal gain.