Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said Nigerian politicians will continue looting public resources unless citizens take decisive action to hold them accountable.
Amaechi made the remark on Friday during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, where he reiterated a controversial stance he first expressed years ago while serving as governor of Rivers State.
According to him, the failure of citizens to demand accountability has emboldened political leaders to perpetuate corruption and poor governance.
He said, “As a governor of Rivers State at Freedom House in a ceremony organised by Prof. Wole Soyinka, I told Nigerians that we, the politicians, will not stop stealing if Nigerians don’t stone us.”
Amaechi lamented what he described as the worsening state of governance in the country, accusing many political office holders of impoverishing citizens through mismanagement and corruption.
While acknowledging that some governors have made meaningful contributions, the former minister said the overall quality of governance continues to decline.
“The politicians are impoverishing Nigerians. I’m a different politician and there are others as well. A lot of governors have made positive contributions. But governance is slowly dying and it’s quite painful,” he added.
He, however, urged Nigerians to “wake up and do the needful,” stressing the need for increased civic engagement and public pressure on leaders.
Amaechi’s latest comments come amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the former Rivers governor emerging as a vocal critic of the current administration and reportedly positioning himself for a presidential bid under the African Democratic Congress.
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