Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has responded sharply to remarks made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stating that he would not descend into a verbal altercation with “children.”
Speaking on ARISE TV on Tuesday, Amaechi dismissed Wike’s claim of political mentorship, asserting that his rise to governorship was divinely orchestrated and legally affirmed.
“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and the Rivers State people made me governor. Ask him how he made me governor. I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children,” he said.
The heated exchange between the two Rivers-born political heavyweights was sparked by Amaechi’s remarks at his 60th birthday celebration, where he lamented worsening economic hardship and criticised Nigeria’s followership culture.
“Nigerian elites are not the problems of Nigeria. The problems of Nigeria are the followership. There are no capitalists in Nigeria; capitalists are those with capital to invest for production. Do we produce here? I look at Nigeria and ask what are we doing here? Do we really want to be a country? What is important is how do we change this country?
“We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I’m. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power,” Amaechi said.
Wike, during a media chat on Monday, dismissed Amaechi’s comments as hypocritical and politically self-serving.
“He did not talk about hunger. He became a minister — super minister of transportation. He did not talk about hunger. Two years after he left office and as a member of the coalition, he is talking about hunger. He is just hungry for power.
“How do you insult Nigerians and trivialise poverty and hunger? You are insulting Nigerians. It is just that you have stayed out of power — that is the hunger,” Wike said.
In a direct rebuttal, Amaechi denied ever being appointed governor by Wike and explained why he had assigned him the role of Chief of Staff instead of a commissioner portfolio.
“Mohammed Adoke flew all the way from Abuja to Port Harcourt. That week he asked me to make him commissioner for finance and I said no, he has to work under me. I want him as chief of staff so I can supervise him.
“I didn’t offer him commissioner for finance. You see, I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children. I was once his boss. Whether he likes it or not. I hired him. I could have said no.”
He continued, “You know, he made himself chief of staff. He made himself governor. He made himself minister. He made himself local government chairman.”
Amaechi concluded with a thinly veiled criticism of Wike’s political style and lack of decorum.
“There’s no more respect for family names. People just do and say anything.”
