Rotimi Amaechi,
Rotimi Amaechi, director-general of President Muhammadu Buhari
Campaign Organisation, has reportedly described Nigeria as hopeless,
saying the only way for the country to make progress is for “everybody
to be killed”.
According to an audio released by Phrank Shaibu, an aide of Atiku
Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Amaechi, who is minister of transportation, said this in a conversation
with some journalists.
The minister was heard saying there would be a university in his
village after the plans to build one in Daura, hometown of President
Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina state, have been concluded.
Amaechi is from Ubima in Ikwerre local government area of Rivers state.
TheCable could not independently verify the audio. It is unclear
when the conversation took place but it has been generating reactions on
social media.
“This country can never change, I swear. The only way this country can change is in a situation where everybody is killed,” Amaechi said in the audio.
“This country is going nowhere. When Magnus (Abe) was secretary
to the Rivers State Government (SSG), I told him that this country is
hopeless and helpless and he told me, ‘Oga, stop it’. This cannot be
coming from a governor.
“But two months in Abuja, Magnus came to meet me and said, I
agree with you; this country is hopeless and helpless. All they do in
Abuja is to share money.
“I have already written to the governor of Katsina state and I
don’t know why he has not replied to give us the land in Daura for a
university in Daura. The next university would be in my village. There
is a popular saying while we were growing up, that charity begins at
home. Will my own begin abroad?
“The president does not listen to anybody. He doesn’t care. You
can write what you want to write. Does he read? I was flying with him
in the aircraft and we saw a news report where a goat seller was
complaining that he couldn’t sell his goats during Sallah because of
Buhari’s administration. And the president said what my business with
goat sellers is?”
David Iyiofor, spokesman of the minister, could not be reached for
comments as of the time this report was filed. He neither answered calls
nor responded to a text message sent.
Commenting on the audio, Shaibu asked Nigerians to vote against Buhari in the forthcoming election.
He said a vote for the president “is a vote for stagnation”, asking
Buhari to “quit honourably instead of wasting tax payers monies on his
reelection bid”.
“The truth is that, the other day, the President confessed that
the economy had collapsed under his watch. On another occasion, the
wife confessed to the fact that, the cabal and not her dearest husband,
President Buhari was in charge of the country and now, the
director-general of his re-election campaign has confessed to the lack
of capacity of President Buhari and the dismal failure of hid
administration,” he said in a statement.
“The truth is, the president has established a record of
failures which probably no other President would ever equal or erase.
Mrs Aishat Buhari was partially correct when she stated that two people
are preventing her husband from performing well. With this audio tape,
if the two don’t include her husband then she is not completely being
truthful.”