…Stop weaponizing our people pains
The Minister of State for Defence Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle has condemned in the strongest terms recent statements made by Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of inciting violence and unrest among the Nigerian populace.
Amaechi a member of the ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, had said in an interview with ABN TV, on the hardship in the country: “I’m angry Nigerians are not protesting against politicians.”
A statement issued by Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Henshaw Ogubike said the Minister of State for Defence Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle condemned in the strongest terms recent remark credited to former minister of transportation RT.Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, describing it as inciting violence and unrest among the Nigerian populace.
“Dr. Matawalle issued a stern warning to the former Minister of Transport, urging him to desist from making inflammatory remarks that threaten the peace and stability of the nation.
In addition,the minister expressed deep concern over the dangers posed by such rhetoric. “It is both reckless and irresponsible for a former public servant of Amaechi’s standing to incite Nigerians against their own government,”
Dr. Matawalle said, “at a time when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working tirelessly to address the challenges facing the nation through various reforms that are yielding results.
It is absurd, preposterous and shameful for anyone to exploit the genuine situation of our citizens for selfish political gain.”
The minister further reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commitment to safeguarding the peace and security of every Nigerian, warning that any attempts to destabilize the country through incitement will not be tolerated.
“We will not allow anyone to fuel violence or manipulate the prevailing situation of our people. Let this serve as a final warning to Amaechi and his cohorts,” the minister of State for Defence says emphatically.
Matawalle further “cautioned Amaechi not to cast aspersions on government genuine intentions for the people. It is expected that Amaechi joins hand with the government to move the country forward ,rather he chose to stay aside with myopic assertions.”
In the interview with ABN TV, former Rivers State governor had expressed frustration with the general public’s apparent passivity in the face of severe economic hardship. And questioned why Nigerians are not more vocal in their outrage, pointing to rising costs and the inability of many to afford basic necessities such as fuel.
“I’m angry with the citizens. I have said it several times. You can see a group of people stealing your money, impoverishing you, you cannot buy fuel and anything,” he stated.
Drawing attention to Edo State, Amaechi remarked on the ongoing political campaigns and questioned the rationale behind them, given the economic challenges the people are enduring.
“Look at what happened in Edo State. Should any politician be campaigning in Edo?” he asked, adding that the citizens should be taking stronger stances against the political class.
“The people should be angry. There should be protests. Not even protests against anybody, but against the politicians that ‘we won’t vote’. There won’t be any election in our state.”
He emphasised that Nigerians should rise and send a clear message, not through violence, but by withholding their participation in elections until their needs are prioritized.
“That is what people should be saying. The rate of hunger now… if people like us cannot afford diesel, you can imagine what is happening to those who do not have children like us.”
In a biting comment on the country’s declining economic situation, Amaechi said, “Somebody said what this government has achieved is that it has made Nigerians strong in the sense that Nigerians now trek and you know walking helps the heart.”
Despite his clear frustration with the current state of affairs, he stopped short of declaring a political stance, concluding, “I am not interested in politics…I will discuss politics at the right time.”
Just on Friday APC roundly condemned Amaechi’s remark thus:
“ROTIMI AMAECHI INCITING ANARCHY IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND UNPATRIOTIC
From the lavish comfort of his “proverbial glass house”, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transport and Governor of Rivers state, in a recent interview, berated Nigerian youth for not protesting “high cost of living” in the country to his morbid satisfaction.
“Amaechi’s comments are insensitive, god-awful and unpatriotic, coming from one of Nigeria’s longest serving and highest ranking political freeloaders – a two-term Speaker of the Rivers state House of Assembly, a two-term Governor, and a two-term Minister of Transport.
“For almost all of his adult life, Amaechi, has been a leechy dependant on state resources, a voracious beneficiary of official patronage, and a leading participant in the generational devastation of our country’s economy. Attempting to hoodwink Nigerians into his web of false empathy and incitement to violence is hypocritical, provocative and dangerous.
“If those in power “steal money” as Amaechi mischievously alleged, how come he can’t afford “to buy diesel” barely two years after “stealing” for over 24 years in power as Speaker, Governor and Minister?
“The only real anger that Amaechi and his fellow tribesmen of naysayers of the likes of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, must feel is that they are not in the saddle of government today. But that was a decision made by Nigeria’s ultimate political authority – the electorate. Nigerians are highly perceptive, discerning, demure, and mindful that economic discomforts associated with the administration’s inevitable reforms are transient and will pale into insignificance in comparison to the enduring transformative dividends which are already beginning to manifest. Nigerians will not be cajoled into taking back through street violence what they handed to the administration through the ballot, as Amaechi and his partisan tribesmen would wish.
“It is nauseating to think that these naysayer tribesmen who did absolutely nothing to improve the economy or living conditions for Nigerians while they were in office, now pontificate, endlessly, about what and how things should be done but didn’t and couldn’t do while in power.
“It’s as though they only regain their senses and discover their talents for governance when they are out of power. A tribe of naysayers, is what they are, who never see any good, only gloom, filled with bile and disdain for the determined strides of APC-administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to transform our country’s economy for the benefit of present and future generations of Nigerians.
“One would expect Amaechi to keep busy trying to solve the crippling crisis in Rivers state that he once governed. Instead, he has chosen to stoke anarchy on a national scale. Weaponizing protest and exploiting citizen’s economic discomfort for selfish political objective, as these partisan tribesmen are doing, is irresponsible and decidedly unpatriotic.
“We urge Nigerians to dismiss the call to anarchy by Amaechi and his partisan tribesmen and to remain patient and continue to support President Tinubu’s bold effort to transform our country’s economy once and for all.”
Signed:
Felix Morka, Esq.
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)