Indeed, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, was deliberate, incisive, and courageous when he subtly jabbed political power merchants like Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and their ilk during the birthday celebration of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation and APC presidential aspirant.
Dickson was one of the speakers at the 60th birthday lecture in honour of Amaechi, themed: “Weaponisation of Poverty.
In his brief but weighty remarks, Dickson said “There are a number of you who are expert conspirators, who know how to assemble coalitions and take over government as you did in 2015. Eleven years down the line, we thought that there would have been no weaponization of poverty, and that all the challenges of Nigeria would have been gone. But here we are, still talking about weaponization of poverty, by the same people who conspired to take power in 2015 and held it for eight years. Their party is still in power. What an irony.”
Ironically, when it was Amaechi’s turn to speak, he did what he does best, dishonesty wrapped in political opportunism. He seized the moment, not to reflect or take responsibility, but to stoke public sentiment and begin again the chant of political resurrection. His speech, as usual, was filled with half-truths, self-exoneration, and calculated deceit, a page lifted directly from the handbook of power-grabbers. His job was simple: the incite the uninformed and hungry Nigerians to join their 2027 power project.
Typical of him, an illogical and incoherent speaker who often bamboozles his listeners with lies and diatribe, Amaechi said: “Nigeria is where it is today because many Nigerians have been voting on a religious and ethnic basis. Let me tell you, no Nigerian leader cares for the poor, because they know that Nigerians can do nothing to them once they are in power. When Nigerians protested, the President announced an increase in the price of fuel because they know you cannot do anything.”
Is this not laughable, coming from a man who was in power uninterruptedly from 1999 to 2023?
Amaechi’s entire political career is a testament to the very system he now pretends to criticize. From Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to two-term Governor, to Minister of Transportation under the most anti-people regime in recent history, Amaechi has never been a friend of the masses. He was, and remains, a high priest in the temple of Nigeria’s political deceit.
When he speaks about “weaponization of poverty,” who does he think weaponized it if not he and his fellow architects of the 2015 political conspiracy that led Nigeria into darkness?
These are the same men who conspired to bring down Goodluck Jonathan’s administration under the false promise of change, only to install General Muhammadu Buhari’s disastrous regime, a regime in which Amaechi thrived for eight years as Minister without a single pro-poor legacy.
When, exactly, did Amaechi realize poverty was being weaponized? Was it when he built a railway line from Nigeria to Niger Republic, neglecting critical infrastructure needs within Nigeria? Was he thinking about the poor then?
What was Amaechi’s legacy as Minister of Transportation? The deliberate exclusion of the Southeast from major rail infrastructure projects. How can you talk about alleviating poverty when you systematically deny an entire southeast access to modern transportation, which would have facilitated trade and lifted thousands out of economic hardship? Is that not the highest form of weaponizing poverty?
Now, after two decades of holding power, Amaechi has suddenly found his voice, preaching a gospel he never believed in. Let no one be deceived. His sudden empathy for the poor is not born out of conviction but out of desperation, a carefully scripted act to re-enter political relevance. It’s the same script from 2015. They’ve only dusted and rebranded it.
We do not need Amaechi to remind us that no Nigerian leader cares about the poor. He is part and parcel of the problem. His crocodile tears are not for the masses, but for his lost proximity to power.
In truth, it is not the people voting along ethnic and religious lines that are Nigeria’s problem.
The real problem is politicians like Amaechi, men who use religion and ethnicity as tools to manipulate the people, then turn around to blame the same victims they have used, abused, and discarded.
What did he and his allies do with the trust they received in 2015? For eight long years, they oversaw the most regressive, corrupt, and oppressive regime in Nigeria’s democratic history. Now he wants Nigerians to rally behind him again, to what end?
And what could be more dishonest than Amaechi claiming he worked with General Tukur Buratai as Governor without knowing he was from the North? Such a blatant lie insults the intelligence of Nigerians. Is Amaechi now suggesting that names like Buratai are common in the South-South?
If Rotimi Amaechi, former Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, can claim ignorance about where the proceeds from subsidy removal and the floating of the naira are being channeled, what then is left of his credibility? He can deceive himself, but he certainly can’t deceive Nigerians who are well aware that federal allocations to states have significantly increased, putting more money in the hands of state governors. Amaechi knows this, but he would rather play politics with it, as usual. Little wonder his friend, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, who supports these policies, remains silent on how much Abia receives. So, where is the transparency Amaechi now preaches?
Let’s call it what it is: Amaechi’s speech was not a reflection, it was a projection. A projection of his ambition, desperation, and hypocrisy.
Nigerians must never forget the faces behind their current suffering. Rotimi Amaechi is not a reformer. He is a returning salesman of broken promises. And this time, the people must not buy what he’s selling.
