Transportation Minister and former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, is the poorest of all the Ministers in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, a close associate of the minister, Kinsley Wali has said.
Mr Wali stated this during the June 12 Unity Lecture in honour of late MKO Abiola organised by the Rivers Unity Group of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.
According to him, the transport minister is by choice the poorest high profile political office holder in Nigeria today because of his character and passion for selfless service.
Mr Wali, the moderator of the event, said: “Like Abiola, the Amaechi aura is about a belief and commitment to that belief. Mr Abiola had all the leverage to walk out of prison free, but he said he would not do so without his mandate, not for any personal interest but to serve the public good.”
“How many political leaders would go through what Amaechi went through in his second governorship term and will not break? And he took all the pain for public interest and that is why Amaechi today is the poorest political officeholder in Nigeria.
“He would put his family on the line, talk less of scarifying his private vault to ensure that the other man is not deprived under his leadership.
“He once borrowed to pay a former commissioner son’s school fees. That is why he is poor and when he told the National Assembly I am not corrupt, he meant it,” Mr Wali said.
That guest lecturers on the occasion included Byke Nwanjoku, member, Rivers State House of Assembly who treated the theme: ‘The Pains of Leader, The Amaechi Example’ and former Rivers Deputy Speaker, Leyee Kwanee who spoke on Unity and Party Supremacy
Both key lecturers and respondents alike on the occasion noted that at a time other states of the federation were celebrating various milestone industries, Rivers currently fares as a state under attack as all that is being achieved is construction of roads and buildings.
