Amaechi: Nigerian Politicians Get Away With Murder, Everything Due To Citizens’ Short Memory

Auja, Nigeria –Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has criticized Nigerian politicians, accusing them of corruption and impunity, while blaming citizens for their failure to hold leaders accountable.

Speaking at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development in Abuja, the former Rivers State governor said politicians in the country “steal, maim, kill, and do whatever it takes to remain in power.”

According to Amaechi, Nigerian politicians exploit the people’s short memory and unwillingness to challenge them.

He noted that unlike in Ghana, where citizens are willing to fight for their rights, Nigerians “only talk and abuse people” instead of making sacrifices to defend their votes.

“Before the last Ghanaian election, people were ready to die for their country. They called for intervention because they were prepared to fight for change. But in Nigeria, people just talk and insult politicians. Nobody has the power to hand you leadership, not even me,” Amaechi said.

The former minister dismissed expectations that President Bola Tinubu would willingly relinquish power, urging Nigerians to take their fate into their own hands.

“If Nigerians want a pastor as president, they should go and get one. If they think Tinubu will just give them power, they are wasting their time,” he stated.

Amaechi, who has been part of Nigeria’s political system since leaving university in 1987, admitted that poverty has kept him within the political structure.

He also recalled how the All Progressives Congress (APC) wrestled power from Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, stating that the ruling party cannot erase his contributions to its formation.

“We stood firm against the PDP when Jonathan was in power. We were willing to die for change. When his government saw that we were ready, they handed over power,” he said.