Former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has dismissed criticisms from Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The former Rivers State governor, during his appearance on ARISE Television yesterday, said he refused to be drawn into what he described as petty exchanges.
Amaechi responded to Wike’s comments by asserting that his political elevation came through divine intervention, the courts, and the people of Rivers State, not through Wike’s influence.
“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and Rivers people were the reasons I became governor. Let him explain how he contributed to it. I’m only saying this to make it clear—I won’t engage in back-and-forths with children,” Amaechi said.
The dispute follows Amaechi’s recent speech during his 60th birthday celebration, where he raised alarm over worsening economic hardship and questioned the country’s development trajectory.
“We keep blaming the elites, but Nigeria’s problem lies in its followership. We don’t have genuine capitalists—people who invest in production. Are we even producing anything? Sometimes I wonder if we truly want to function as a country. What matters now is how we transform Nigeria,” he stated.
He added: “Everyone is hungry. If you’re not, I am. If the opposition really wants to remove the government in power, it is possible.”
Wike, speaking during a media chat on Monday, dismissed Amaechi’s comments as self-serving, suggesting they were driven more by political ambition than concern for ordinary Nigerians.
“He never raised issues of hunger when he was Minister of Transportation,” Wike argued.
“Now that he’s no longer in office, he suddenly remembers the people? His hunger is for power, not for food.”
The FCT minister also accused Amaechi of making light of Nigerians’ suffering, saying, “You’re not helping anyone by insulting Nigerians under the guise of critique.”
Amaechi, in response, flatly denied Wike’s claim of having made him governor, stressing that his appointment was the result of legal battles and widespread public support.
Recalling his appointment of Wike as Chief of Staff, Amaechi explained that he rejected Wike’s lobbying for the finance commissioner role because he wanted closer oversight.
“Mohammed Adoke came all the way from Abuja that week to tell me to appoint him as commissioner for finance. I refused. I wanted him as chief of staff so I could monitor him directly,” he said.
According to Amaechi, “He wasn’t offered the finance portfolio. And I say all this only to clarify things—I don’t trade words with juniors. Like it or not, I was his boss. I gave him that position.”
He continued, mocking Wike’s perceived political self-aggrandisement.
“He appointed himself to every role—chief of staff, governor, minister, even local government chairman.”
Amaechi also takes a swipe at Wike’s political style, saying, “There’s no regard for legacy or dignity anymore. People just say and do anything for attention.”
