By Abiola Olawale
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reignited his fierce political feud with his predecessor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of sidelining Rivers State while in federal office.
Speaking on Saturday during a civic reception held in his honour at Omagwa in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State, Wike launched a scathing critique against Amaechi, pointing specifically to the siting of the Federal University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State, as proof of neglect toward his home state.
Wike leveraged a classic political argument, throwing Amaechi’s own historical definition of “brotherhood” back at him.
He recalled how Amaechi previously argued that true brotherhood is measured by mutual support during times of trouble and direct intervention in local welfare, rather than blood ties.
Flipping the narrative, Wike stated that by Amaechi’s very own standard, the former minister failed the people of Rivers State.
He said: “Now that he wants to run for vice-president (Amaechi), we must ask: what happened during all the years he was minister of transportation?” Wike, relate to us? Did he think about our problems? Did he bring anything here?
“Rather, you sent a university to Daura because you thought that would make you president. Did it make you president?”
Wike said that during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Amaechi defined a brother not necessarily as a blood relative but as someone who stands by others in difficult times and identifies with their challenges.
The FCT minister said President Bola Tinubu had done well to earn the recognition of a “brother” to the people of Rivers State.
“He (Amaechi) said a brother is somebody who identifies with you in times of trouble, relates with you, and thinks about your welfare and survival,” Wike said.
“Brotherhood, according to him, is not about blood relationship but about survival.
“When Jonathan was president, our brother (Amaechi) said Jonathan never cared for us and therefore could not be our brother.
“He told us that Muhammadu Buhari was our brother because Buhari would identify with us and relate with us.
“Tinubu has identified with us. He has related with us. He has understood our problems and helped solve them. Therefore, by the definition of brotherhood that Amaechi himself gave us, Tinubu is our brother.”
