Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers governor and former minister of transport, on Saturday said he knew whoever succeeded late former President Muhammadu Buhari would not do anything significant because thieving politicians had already looted Nigeria badly.
Mr Amaechi, speaking in an X Space session on Saturday, disclosed this when asked to assess the governance and subsidy removal policy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I’ve said it several times, whoever took over from Buhari wouldn’t have done anything differently,” Mr Amaechi said.
He added, “In fact, politicians had already stolen all the money that you had. In fact, they had sold oil in five to six years in advance. So, whoever became president would have had no choice but to remove subsidy.”
The former Rivers governor, who was a major power broker in Mr Buhari’s regime, said, “But what I would have done differently is that the money they are currently borrowing, I would have focused on social housing to create employment, so that the man you are taking subsidy from would have money to pay for the subsidy.”
This revelation that corruption thrived under Mr Buhari’s watch comes a few weeks after the former president died in a London hospital and was buried.
Mr Amaechi’s statements echo those of another All Progressives Congress chieftain, Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo governor, who said that a few people looted and impoverished the Nigerian masses because stealing was much easier under Mr Buhari’s watch.
“Before Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, it was easy for some — a few very people — but they took a huge sum by just manipulating the financial system and turned out huge numbers to themselves and pauperised the rest of the people,” Mr Oshiomhole said, referring to dual exchange rates and the reckless use of ways and means under Mr Buhari’s regime.
