Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, has finally addressed long-standing allegations regarding a controversial meeting between opposition leaders and American officials during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Speaking at the National Conference of Editors in Abuja on Thursday, Amaechi categorically denied claims that he and other opposition figures pressured the United States government to intervene against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government by citing Christian genocide in Nigeria.
The former two-term governor, who played a pivotal role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) coalition that defeated Jonathan in 2015, insisted that the engagement with American officials focused solely on ensuring violence-free elections.
“There have been talks about some clandestine meetings in America. No, there was no meeting in America like that. There was absolutely no meeting in America like that,” Amaechi stated emphatically.
He explained that only one meeting took place, and the discussion centered on electoral peace. “There was just one meeting, and we were invited to the meeting and the discussion. The question was from the Americans: look, we don’t want violence in this election and we should have trust that there would be no violence,” the former minister clarified.
Media’s Role in Democratic Accountability
Beyond addressing the genocide allegations, Amaechi used the platform to critique what he described as the weakening watchdog role of Nigerian journalism under civilian rule compared to the military era.
The former governor questioned why journalists who once fiercely challenged military dictatorships appear less confrontational with democratically elected officials. “I have friends who are editors. I said, are these not the same people that fought with us when we were fighting? They say they are. I said, so what has changed in journalism because they’re no longer fighting,” he remarked.
Drawing a stark analogy, Amaechi suggested that corruption has become more widespread in the democratic dispensation. “The pot under the military was smaller, and the military alone was enjoying it. The portions became smaller and we needed to expand the pot,” he said, implying that more people now benefit from corrupt practices.
Ethnicity and Political Coverage
The former minister also raised concerns about ethnic bias influencing political journalism in Nigeria. According to him, journalists often shield leaders from their ethnic groups from criticism regardless of performance.
“As journalists, nobody wants to write against their brother. Everybody’s enjoying even if your brother is bad. Nigerians don’t hate bad government, it’s just that the bad president is from another part of the country. If the bad president is from your area, he’s a wonderful man; he’s trying his best,” Amaechi observed.
He called on Nigerians to hold all governments accountable through legitimate electoral means, regardless of ethnic considerations.
National Unity and Economic Opportunity
Amaechi painted a vision of a truly united Nigeria where citizens can thrive anywhere in the country. “Nigeria should be a country where anybody who comes from any part of Nigeria can survive in any part of Nigeria that he goes to. That’s when we will become a country, when I can go to Lagos and survive in Lagos, when you can buy land in Port Harcourt and survive in Port Harcourt,” he said.
Insecurity and Poverty Linkage
On the persistent insecurity plaguing various parts of Nigeria, the former governor attributed it directly to poverty and lack of economic opportunities. “Government is complaining about insecurity. You know the cause of insecurity. If you provide the people with poverty, if you don’t provide them with legitimate means of livelihood, they will provide for themselves an illegitimate means of livelihood,” Amaechi warned.
He emphasized that denying citizens legitimate economic opportunities inevitably pushes them toward criminal activities as survival mechanisms.
Amaechi served as Rivers State Governor from 2007 to 2015 and later as Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2022. He currently belongs to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after leaving the APC.
The 2015 presidential election that brought Buhari to power marked the first democratic transition from an incumbent government to opposition in Nigeria’s history, with international observers widely praising the electoral process.