The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, following Amaechi’s recent statement that he is "hungry" amid Nigeria’s economic hardship.
Wike, during a media chat on Monday in Abuja, dismissed the remark, suggesting that Amaechi's hunger has nothing to do with food but everything to do with a deep desire to reclaim political relevance.
Last week, during an event marking his 60th birthday, Amaechi lamented the current economic woes in the country, declaring, "We’re all hungry, all of us are.
"If you’re not hungry, I am. For us, the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power. In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; it’s about sharing."
Reacting to the statement, Wike strongly criticised Amaechi’s narrative: “We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria. I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry.”
He questioned Amaechi’s sincerity, pointing out his long political career.
“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years,” Wike stated.
The FCT Minister accused the former Rivers governor of forming a new political alliance out of desperation for power, not patriotism. “Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power.
This shows his failure. How can you trivialise the issue of hunger?” Wike said, alleging Amaechi had joined forces with Atiku Abubakar simply because he cannot function outside government.
Wike further mocked Amaechi’s past political efforts, stating, “He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG.”
He also expressed relief that the PDP wasn't supported in the last election, implying Amaechi would have taken undue credit. “Thank God we did not support the PDP; otherwise, he would have taken the glory,” Wike said, challenging Amaechi’s call to remove the president.
“Let’s see how he plans to remove the president. Is it a military coup? The term ‘removal’ is synonymous with dictatorship or military coup,” Wike argued. “I am not a liability; I am an asset. You may dislike me, but I am an asset in ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term.”
Both politicians hail from Rivers State and have had long-standing political rivalry. Amaechi held office as Speaker from 1999 to 2007, was governor for two terms until 2015, and served as Transport Minister until 2023 under President Muhammadu Buhari.
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