Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, revealed on Saturday that he would have adopted some of President Bola Tinubu’s policies if he were Nigeria’s president. However, he criticized the implementation, alleging that the benefits of these policies are being siphoned into private pockets.
Speaking at his 60th birthday celebration in Abuja, Amaechi lamented the lack of capitalist ideas among Nigerian politicians, stating that their conflicts center on the sharing of national resources. “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; the quarrel among the elites is about sharing,” he said.
Amaechi called for unity and a focus on national interest to address Nigeria’s challenges, urging politicians to submit to the opposition if it offers viable solutions. He highlighted the failure of current policies, noting that their gains are not reaching the public. “If I were the president, yes, I would pursue some of the policies they are pursuing, but ask what the failure is: the failure is that the gains of those policies are in their private pockets,” he stated.
Reflecting on past government spending, Amaechi questioned the whereabouts of funds previously allocated to subsidies, estimated at four to five trillion naira. “If they dumped it on the economy, you will not be crying,” he added, suggesting that proper allocation of resources could alleviate public hardship.
