The present economic reality of Nigeria has been attributed to the excessive borrowings during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari through the Ministry of transportation then headed by Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi as a minister. This much was disclosed Chief Tony Okocha who noted that Nigerians are suffering today because of what he described as “Amaechi’s massive borrowings” from China. Okocha who was reacting to statement credited to the former Governor of Rivers state that 84% of Nigerians do not like the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at a press conference in Port Harcourt said the “ignoble government” in which Amaechi served for almost eight years left Nigerians in tatters.
“Somebody, a former governor of Rivers state and former minister of transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a sometime leader APC , Rivers state was in consultations, in a meeting said that 84% of Nigerians do not like the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are asking him, what was his statistical data, how did he generate that data, was it by random sampling or how? We wonder how someone who almost franchised the sovereignty of Nigeria who led massive borrowing of money from China to come out after seven years serving in a government, in fact, that government today is ignoble government which left Nigerians in a dungeon, to summon courage to say that 84% of Nigerians do not like President Tinubu.
“We want to let Mr. President know that he (Amaechi) spoke for himself and not APC, Rivers state. His acrimony and personal idiosyncrasy cannot override the interest of APC members in Rivers state. We are all aware of what happened during the APC presidential primaries in Abuja. This person came a distant second in that election. In spite of that, the presidential candidate, as he then was, took his time and visited all of them who contested in that primary including those who scored zero. You know how it became practically impossible for us to use the name of APC to campaign in Rivers state but for the rainbow coalition, we would have been in a dungeon”. Okocha who was a chief of staff, Government House, Port Harcourt when Amaechi was a Governor recalled that in 2023, it was an anathema to mention the name of Tinubu in Rivers state. They said Tinubu must be voted against in that election. They said Tinubu was sick. Tinubu will soon die.
“We disassociate APC in Rivers state from that uncanny comment made by the former minister. We absolve APC from that statement and to say that APC in Rivers state is in support of Mr. President. One man’s opinion should not override the opinion of APC members in Rivers state”, he said. Responding to the allegation, the former spokesman of APC, Darlington Nwauju and a close ally of Amaechi said Nigerians are aware that the likes of Tony Okocha have been using “blackmail as a trademark to gain benefits in Tinubu’s administration’. Part of his task has been to constantly malign the person of former governor of Rivers state, the Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi. Let me quickly say that the railway agreement and the loan agreement in the ministry of transportation were instruments that were perfected and were considered by the Attorney General’s office. Any discerning observer will understand what it means to take an offshore loan. The instruments for taking such loan will be carefully considered by the ministry of justice.
“Part of the agreement for taking the loans to build the rail infrastructure in Nigeria was that 50% of the income accrued from the railway sub-sector will go back into the repayment of these loans. The loans are being repaid. The Port Harcourt/ Aba railway was fully paid for under Rotimi Amaechi. The Lekki Deep seaport was fully paid for under him. So, one wonders why he often maligns the former governor of Rivers state”, Nwauju said.
