Judith Amaechi, the spouse of former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, has labeled the assertion made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as absurd and unfounded. Wike claimed that she received ₦4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the purposes of women empowerment and training.
Judith also criticized Wike’s assertion that she has been implicated in a corruption investigation concerning the NDDC. She remarked that the allegations made against her by Wike represent a “subtle form of blackmail aimed at achieving trivial political objectives.”
Nyesom Wike and Rotimi Amaechi have a shared political background as former governors of the oil-rich Rivers State in the Niger Delta region. Amaechi served from May 2007 until May 2015, when he transferred power to Wike, who held office for an additional eight years. The relationship between the two has since deteriorated, leading to a series of public disputes.
In an interview conducted earlier in July 2025, Wike alleged that Judith received ₦4 billion monthly, totaling ₦48 billion, for the training of women in the Niger Delta.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday by Judith’s spokesperson, Dike Bekwele, the former minister’s wife asserted that there is no truth to the allegations made by Wike against Judith and the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI).
“The collaboration between the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) and the NDDC is mutually beneficial, aimed at jointly financing human capacity programs and training for the numerous youths and women; supporting nano, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, as well as its entrepreneurial development center for the youth and women of the Niger Delta Region.
“It would be ludicrous for Wike to claim that the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) or Dame Judith Amaechi was implicated in the NDDC forensic audit report, which has yet to be made public to the Nigerian populace.
“It is entirely ridiculous, unfounded, and simply a product of Mr. Wike’s imagination,” the statement declared.
Judith urged Wike to disclose his interpretation of the forensic audit report concerning the NDDC, in which either she or the ESI was implicated.
“Should Wike not present this report, we then challenge Mr. Wike to fulfill his claim and confidently submit his resignation as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, immediately accompanied by a sincere apology to the Nation,” the statement declared.
