Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State, has retaliated against Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stating that he would not engage in a verbal sparring match with “children.”
In reaction to Wike’s criticism of his recent remarks regarding the level of hunger in Nigeria, Amaechi made the statement on Tuesday during an appearance on ARISE TV.
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“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,” Amaechi said.
The debate follows Amaechi’s earlier remarks during his 60th birthday celebration, in which he voiced his concern over the nation’s economic struggles.
“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.
However, in a Monday media talk, Wike called Amaechi’s remarks “politically motivated” and charged him of trivialising the suffering of Nigerians.
“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,” Wike said.
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“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.”
Amaechi responded by refuting Wike’s assertion that he played a key role in his ascent to the position of governor, asserting that his ascent was supported by divine intervention, a court ruling, and the backing of the Rivers State populace.
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Citing the necessity for close oversight, the former minister of transportation also discussed his choice to name Wike chief of staff rather than commissioner for finance.
Amaechi also made fun of Wike’s political behaviour by stating, “Family names are no longer respected.” People simply say and do whatever they want.
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