Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed the reasons behind his efforts to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan from office, on 2015.while
The former Governor of Rivers State also offered pointed critiques of President Bola Tinubu’s policies and the perceived decline in civic activism across Nigeria.
Speaking on Saturday at a public event, Amaechi explained that his decision to oppose Jonathan stemmed from disagreements over the former president’s leadership style.
“The reason for removing Goodluck, which I will detail further in my book, was that I didn’t agree with his leadership style,” he said.
“You may argue that his leadership was better than Buhari’s, but by the time he was leaving office, the dollar had already started rising to between N150 and N200.”
Amaechi also recounted several incidents during Jonathan’s administration when he faced threats to his life and political freedom.
He described being prevented from entering Ekiti State during a political mission and detailed a harrowing encounter at Akure Airport where soldiers blocked his plane’s takeoff.
“Even as a sitting governor, I was warned not to be found after dark because my life could not be guaranteed,” he said, emphasizing the climate of fear he operated under.
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Addressing current affairs, Amaechi criticized President Bola Tinubu’s approach to subsidy removal, despite agreeing with the policy in principle.
He argued that critical economic cushioning measures, such as job creation through mass housing projects, should have preceded subsidy withdrawal.
“If I were president, I would have removed the oil subsidy differently by first putting money in the hands of the people through massive employment opportunities,” he said, lamenting that the policy’s current execution has only deepened poverty.
Amaechi also took aim at religious and civil society leaders, accusing them of complacency.
“While brothers are dying and people are committing suicide, the church remains silent,” he said, praising “liberation theologists” in the Catholic Church who continue to speak against bad governance.
Quoting the Bishop of Nsukka, he added: “Listen to the Bishop on Sundays he calls all politicians thieves.”
Reflecting on student activism and labor movements, Amaechi lamented the erosion of ideological commitment in today’s organizations.
He contrasted the militancy of the 1980s National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) with what he described as today’s complacency.
“In the past, NANS and NLC acted in concert to challenge governments, often at great personal risk. Today, student leaders drive cars and carry police escorts,” he said.
According to Amaechi, the current state of civil resistance falls far short of Nigeria’s historical tradition of activism:
“Any revolution without blood is a rebellion. While I am not calling for rebellion, it is important to remember what student and labor activism once meant in Nigeria.”
