The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed why some Nigerians are against the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi, who is the Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Campaign Organisation said some Nigerians are opposed to Buhari’s re-election because he has refused to share public funds for personal use.
Speaking during the presentation of a book: “The Niger Delta Paradox: Impoverished in the Midst of Abundance,” written by Monsignor John Wangbu, a Catholic Priest, yesterday, the former Rivers State governor, however, expressed confidence that with the President’s “impressive performance” since assuming office, most Nigerians would vote for him next year.
According to Amaechi, voting for Buhari will enable him to continue with his developmental strides and empowerment of the people.
He said: “Why some persons are saying they will not vote for President Buhari next year is because the money available, instead of sharing it, we are working with it for development across Nigeria. If you see a disciplined person like President Buhari, who is saying we cannot continue like this and be sharing money, we need to support him.
“We need to produce what we eat. Imagine Nigeria importing tomatoes and meat. Before, Nigeria was importing 500,000 eggs per day from South Africa. We are now producing our tomatoes and rice. We have reduced the importation of chicken and eggs.
“Niger Deltans are impoverished by themselves. The Ogoni man who broke crude oil pipe, is he not aware that there will be environmental crisis? The Ikwerre man who stops the man who is producing crude oil in one of Ikwerre communities, did he remember how much it costs the Federal Government and the Nigerian nation and the loss incurred for the number of days of stoppage of oil production?
“The private individual in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, who went to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company to collect money. Did he think that the money he collected belonged to Agip? If the money belonged to Agip, he would not be given. The money he collected actually belonged to the Niger Delta. Our agitation is in private pockets.
“Calculate how much has come to Rivers State, including my administration, and look at the volume of development that has come out of the money, and see whether we are making progress. I am not saying the Federal Government is treating us in the Niger Delta well, but the funds that we have managed to get, what have we done with them? Do not blame politicians, blame yourselves too. The problem is not leadership, but followership. We must ask the right questions. It should not be a land of anything goes.
“A friend of mine was made the Minister for Environment and she wanted to take up the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) for clean-up of the polluted Ogoni environment. She came to me and asked what she should do. In the Niger Delta, most people do not like development projects, but to share the money. I told her the first thing she would experience would be requests to share the money. I told her that if she smiled or laughed with the people, she would be in trouble. The first day she arrived, the people started demanding money, but she ignored them and she was successful.
“The current people (in HYPREP) are having problems, because they are listening to the people. Me, I will not listen, but I will do what is in my mind. I only want to be judged by God and the society. I want to live, knowing that my conscience is clear and I have satisfied myself that I have done the right things. So that I can sleep freely. My conscience worries me a lot.”
