5 things Amaechi said about Buhari, PDP

Transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi hosted select online journalists to a press conference at his office in Abuja on Thursday, February 15, 2018.

The minister spoke on the achievements of his ministry and other burning national issues.

Pulse highlights five important things the minister said.

PDP is only hungry for money

play Rotimi Amaechi

(Israel Ibeleme)

Amaechi said all the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is after is not power but money.

The minister who governed Rivers State for eight years under the PDP said the opposition would automatically bring back corruption if the APC loses in 2019.

“If we don’t win, corruption will come back automatically,” Amaechi announced.

“The way it will come back because the people (PDP) are out, they have been out for four years. They have never been out of government before. PDP never left government so now, they are hungry; not hungry for power, but money.

“In fact if you tell them that I want to keep power and I will give you money, they will say take power and give us the money.

“I hope Nigerians remember that by the time we came, we were borrowing money to pay salaries. I hope you people remember that we are not borrowing money to pay salaries, we are using our money.

“If we are not borrowing to pay salaries, it means we are generating our own money. I hope Nigerians remember under the past government oil was at $110, $120.

“But when we came oil was $58. The highest that we have gotten is the mistake that happened in the last two weeks that it rose to $70 or $80 after one day it came down to a little above $50 instantly,” Amaechi added.

Buhari deserves a second term

play President Muhammadu Buhari and Rotimi Amaechi

(Trent)

The transport minister said President Buhari deserves a second term to consolidate his achievements during his first term.

“One reason our economy is not growing is lack of infrastructure. So what happened when we had this money? What did we do with that money? We say ‘Oh stop criticizing them do your own’.

“The truth is that the president is eliminating corruption because it is that resource we can use to do Lagos-Ibadan [rail]. Do you know why they didn’t finish Abuja-Kaduna rail [then]? Counterpart funding. They could not pay. When we came, we paid N23 billion. The counterpart funding for Lagos-Ibadan is N72 billion, we have paid. 

“So, are we perfect? No. Have we made mistakes? Yes. Can we overcome the mistakes, we have made? Yes. Can we surmount the challenges we met in the office? Yes. But again we need more than four years to do that,” the minister said.

Buhari’s re-election will not come easy

Amaechi hinted that campaigning for Buhari’s re-election would be more difficult than 2015.

“It was not easy last time but it will be more difficult now. Expectations were too high, and a lot of people felt that we did not meet those expectations but they are not looking at what it takes to meet those expectations.

“In fact, the president got worried and he called me and said ‘Amaechi go and reduce the expectation’ and I said ‘Oga I’m not a magician’,” the minister said.

There is corruption in the Buhari government.

“I will nearly be a foolish man to say that there is no corruption in this government, but compare the magnitude if there is any,” he said.

“Before it was with impunity. Now there are consequences for stealing.

“If for any reason we lose election, you the young ones are taking yourselves and Nigeria ten steps backwards because the elites who left through PDP are waiting in the wings,” the minister announced.