Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has taken a swipe at the government of President Bola Tinubu, comparing it unfavorably with that of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi, who served as a key member of Buhari’s cabinet, made the comments during an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, July 3. While acknowledging that Buhari didn’t meet all his goals in office, Amaechi insisted that the former president still outperformed Tinubu “by all standards.”
“Not everything was achieved. Buhari himself will tell you that,” Amaechi said. “But even at that, he was better than the current government.”
He went further, pointing to areas where he believes the current administration is falling short, especially on national security and the independence of key democratic institutions like INEC.
“In terms of security, Buhari was more focused. As for INEC, under Buhari, there was more freedom. Right now, parties are struggling to even get registered. Government officials are interfering — people have applied to register political parties, and their rents have expired because INEC can’t act,” he said.
Amaechi was quick to clarify that his criticism of the Tinubu government is not personal. According to him, he has no grudge against the President — but simply can’t stay silent when things are not working.
“If Tinubu was doing well, I’d be the first to sing his praises,” he said. “But I honestly feel ashamed when a whole President is commissioning a 16-kilometre road. That’s something a local government chairman should be doing.”
On the economy, Amaechi didn’t mince words. He accused the administration of making things worse for ordinary Nigerians despite promises of reforms and savings from subsidy removal and naira floatation.
“This government has completely buried the economy,” he declared. “If the economy doesn’t put money in people’s pockets, then what are we doing? You say you’ve saved money from removing subsidy, from floating the naira — but where is the money going? Nigerians aren’t feeling it.”
Amaechi’s comments add to a growing wave of public frustration as Nigerians continue to grapple with inflation, rising cost of living, and growing insecurity. For now, his words may echo the thoughts of many who feel left behind in the promises of a renewed hope agenda.
