The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rebuked Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State for inciting Nigerian youths to protest the current high cost of living in the country.
Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary in a statement on Friday in Abuja, described Amaechi’s comments as insensitive and unpatriotic, saying he should be disregarded.
BRANDPOWER reports that Amaechi, also a former Speaker and a two-term governor of Rivers in a recent interview, berated Nigerian youth for not protesting against high cost of living in the country.
“Amaechi’s comments are insensitive, god-awful and unpatriotic, coming from one of Nigeria’s longest serving and highest ranking political freeloaders.
“Attempting to hoodwink Nigerians into his web of false empathy and incitement to violence is hypocritical, provocative and dangerous,”Morka said.
He said Nigerians were highly perceptive, discerning and mindful that the current economic discomforts associated with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s inevitable reforms were transient.
He said they were also aware that the discomfort would pale into insignificance in comparison to the enduring transformative dividends which were already beginning to manifest.
Morka expressed optimism that Nigerians would not be cajoled into taking back through street violence what they handed to the Tinubu-led administration through the ballot as Amaechi and his tribesmen would wish.
“It is nauseating to think that these naysayer tribesmen who did absolutely nothing to improve the economy or living conditions for Nigerians while they were in office.
“Are now pontificating endlessly about what and how things should be done, but didn’t and couldn’t do while in power.
“It is as though they only regain their senses and discover their talents for governance when they are out of power.
“A tribe of naysayers is what they are, who never see any good, only gloom, filled with bile and disdain for the determined strides of APC-administration of Tinubu to transform our country’s economy for the benefit of present and future generations of Nigerians,” the APC spokesman said
What Amaechi said…
Rotimi Amaechi recently expressed frustration with the general public’s apparent calmness amid severe economic hardship.
Speaking during an interview with ABN TV, Amaechi questioned why Nigerians are not more vocal in their outrage, pointing to rising costs and the inability of many to afford basic necessities such as fuel.
Amaechi said he expected youths to storm different streets and protest against the high cost of living.
He said: “I’m angry with the citizens. I have said it several times. You can see a group of people stealing your money, impoverishing you, you cannot buy fuel and anything.
The people should be angry. There should be protests. Not even protests against anybody but against the politicians that ‘we won’t vote’.
“That is what people should be saying. The rate of hunger now… if people like us cannot afford diesel, you can imagine what is happening to those who do not have children like us.
“Somebody said what this government has achieved is that it has made Nigerians to be strong in the sense that Nigerians now trek.”
