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Tinubu’s Govt Worse Than Buhari’s, Says Amaechi
A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says while former President Muhammadu Buhari did not achieve all his goals, he still performed better than the current administration led by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amaechi, also a former two-term Governor of Rivers State, made the remarks on Thursday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s prime programme Politics Today.
“Not everything was achieved. Buhari will tell you that he did not achieve all that he planned for. But then, he was better than the current government by all standards,” he said.
He highlighted security and institutional independence as areas where Buhari out-performed Tinubu.
“In terms of security, Buhari focused on it. In transportation, I’m open to a new challenge. Again, the independence of INEC was higher in Buhari’s government than now.
“Now, they can’t even register a party because government officials are telling them not to. Those who applied to INEC for registration — their rents have expired,” he said.
He also clarified that his criticism of President Tinubu is not personal, adding that he would have been the first to sing the President’s praises if he believed the administration was performing well.
“If Tinubu was doing well, I’d be the first to sing his praises. I feel ashamed for a President commissioning 16 kilometres of road, that’s what a local government chairman should be doing,” he stated.
The ex-minister accused the Tinubu administration of mishandling the economy, insisting it has worsened poverty across the country.
“The current government has completely buried the economy. Any economy that does not put money in the pockets of individuals in Nigeria is not an economic policy.
“You’re making savings from removing subsidy, from floating the naira — where is the money? Where is it going?”
According to him, Nigeria’s socio-economic structure has collapsed into just two classes — the elite and the poor.
“We have a situation where only members of this government are in the rich class. The middle class has vanished, and the poor are increasing. At this rate, a time will come when we won’t even see the poor anymore — they’ll have all died.”
The former Rivers State governor said his record in office remains untainted, adding that he never stole from the public purse. He also dismissed claims that his current stance is motivated by not receiving an appointment from Tinubu.
“I never stole anything in politics. I don’t drive a Rolls-Royce. I’m not in opposition because Tinubu didn’t give me an appointment. I’m not interested in any appointment.
“If there’s anyone who says Amaechi deceived them, let them come forward. If there was corruption in my tenure, let them come forward. I’m waiting,” he said.
In 2022, Amaechi formally declared his intention to contest for the presidency under the APC.
Speaking on his ability to lead Nigeria, Amaechi, who is part of the ongoing coalition talks, declared that he has what it takes to deliver results where the current government is failing.
“Of course, can I lead Nigeria? Yes. I have led as a Speaker, and I was one of the best Speakers in this country,” he said.
“Nigerians would not have been this hungry if I had become President. There is absolutely no way we would have this level of insecurity under me.”
He promised to be transparent about his credentials and fitness to lead, saying, “In the next three weeks, I’ll publish my health details, age, birth certificate, and school certificate. I’ll reassure Nigerians that I won’t be going to hospitals if I am made president.”
On party politics, he lauded the efforts of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he’s a notable figure in a new coalition gearing up for the 2027 elections.
“Once the people want their power, they can restore it. That’s what the ADC is doing — trying to end political apathy and return power to the people,”Amaechi said.
He added that the leadership of ADC will ultimately determine the fate of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), being considered as a merger platform.
Amaechi stressed that the goal of the opposition coalition is not just about elections, but the future of the country.
“The coalition’s ultimate goal is to see a better Nigeria. If I become President, I’ll accept a one-term tenure if that’s what it takes to fix the country,” he said.
When asked about Nigeria’s political future, Amaechi made a call for reform
“We need to remove politicians — including myself, if necessary. What Nigeria needs is a people’s government. And in that government, we can look at politicians who are qualified to actually listen to the people.”
Weighing in on the electoral body, he accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of enabling the ruling APC by deliberately closing the political space.
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, the immediate past sole administrator of Rivers State and a former Chief of Naval Staff, as a non-career ambassador.
Tinubu also nominated Ita Enang, a former senator; Chioma Ohakim, former First Lady of Imo State; and Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Minister of Interior and ex-Chief of Army Staff, as non-career ambassadors.
The United States Department of State on Wednesday announced that it is outlining new measures to address violence against Christians in Nigeria and other countries.
The policy, according to a statement released by the department, targets radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other actors responsible for killings and attacks on religious communities.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and attacks on Christians carried out by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups in Nigeria and beyond,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
According to the statement, a new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows the State Department to restrict visas for individuals who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” and, when appropriate, extend those “restrictions to their immediate family members.”
The briefing, led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, included members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as religious freedom experts.
Participants included Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved Nigeria’s delegation to the new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, formed to implement security agreements from high-level talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The move follows growing concerns over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria, prompting increased US scrutiny and warnings about the protection of vulnerable faith communities.
On November 20, the US House Subcommittee on Africa opened a public hearing to review Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, placing the country under heightened scrutiny for alleged religious-freedom violations.
Lawmakers examined the potential consequences of the designation, which could pave the way for sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution.
The Punch
United States of America lawmakers have sharply contradicted the Nigerian government’s position on the ongoing massacres in the country, describing the violence as “escalating,” “targeted,” and overwhelmingly directed at Christians during a rare joint congressional briefing on Tuesday.
The closed-door session – convened by House Appropriations, Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, as part of a Trump-ordered investigation – examined recent killings and what Congress calls Abuja’s “deeply inadequate” response.
President Trump has asked lawmakers, led by Reps. Riley Moore and Tom Cole, to compile a report on persecution of Nigerian Christians and has even floated the possibility of U.S. military action against Islamist groups responsible for the attacks.
At the briefing, Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, warned that “religious freedom [is] under siege” in Nigeria, citing mass abductions of schoolchildren and assaults in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.” She said abuses were “rampant” and “violent,” claiming Christians are targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared with Muslims.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s recent move to reassign 100,000 police officers from VIP protection, Hartzler said the country is entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” She urged targeted sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes and tighter conditions on U.S. aid, insisting Abuja must retake villages seized from Christian communities so displaced widows and children can return home.
The strongest rebuke came from Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations, who dismissed Abuja’s narrative that the killings are not religiously motivated. He called the idea that extremists attack Muslims and Christians equally a “myth,” stressing the groups operate “for one reason and one reason only: religion.” Higher Muslim casualty figures, he argued, reflect geography, not equal targeting.
Obadare described Boko Haram as fundamentally anti-democratic and accused the Nigerian military of being “too corrupt and incompetent” to defeat jihadist networks without external pressure. He urged Washington to push Nigeria to disband armed religious militias, confront security-sector corruption and respond swiftly to early warnings.
Sean Nelson of ADF International called Nigeria “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” claiming more Christians are killed there than in all other countries combined and at a rate “five times” higher than Muslims when adjusted for population. He said extremists also kill Muslims who reject violent ideologies, undermining Abuja’s argument that the crisis is driven mainly by crime or communal disputes.
He pressed for tighter oversight on U.S. aid, recommending that some assistance be routed through faith-based groups to avoid corruption. Without “transparency and outside pressure,” he said, “nothing changes.”
Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration’s reversal of Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in 2021, saying the decision had “clearly deadly consequences.” Lawmakers from the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees signaled further oversight actions as they prepare the Trump-directed report.
Hartzler pointed to recent comments by Nigeria’s Speaker of the House acknowledging a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence,” calling it a rare moment of candor. She also welcomed the redeployment of police officers as “a promising start after years of neglect.”
But she stressed that these gestures are far from sufficient, insisting the Nigerian government must demonstrate a real commitment to “quell injustice,” act swiftly on early warnings, and embrace transparency.
The Nigerian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to source.
