You don’t coast through Nigerian politics for over three decades without collecting stories, scars, enemies, and the kind of authority that cannot be borrowed. And if there’s one politician who has walked through it all — with both fire and focus — it’s Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
He has been many things: a fierce legislator, a no-nonsense administrator, a political survivor, and an unapologetically outspoken voice within a system that often rewards silence. From the moment he became Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly at just 34, Amaechi positioned himself as a man unafraid of the front row. He went on to serve two full terms as Governor of Rivers State, where he oversaw massive infrastructure expansion — including the reconstruction of schools, roads, and health centres — long before “development” became a political buzzword.
Later, as Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari, he spearheaded one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure drives in recent memory. Under his watch, the Lagos-Ibadan Railway line was completed, the Abuja-Kaduna rail became operational, and conversations around national logistics began to shift from abstract policy to actual movement. Amaechi stood out for his urgency — his insistence that progress be visible and measurable.
Now at 60, the political heavyweight still commands a certain attention. Not because he panders to the spotlight but because he’s never really left the stage. Whether you admire his grit or critique his methods, you cannot ignore the footprint: a legacy built not just on titles, but on a fierce belief in doing the work — and often doing it loudly.
What does turning 60 mean to a man who’s already shaped state and national politics, challenged his own party in full daylight, and still came close to clinching the APC presidential ticket in 2023? Is this the beginning of elder statesmanship — or simply a new vantage point?
From his early days in student unionism to one of the most pivotal voices in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, Amaechi’s story is layered, controversial, and undeniably compelling. As he steps into this new chapter, he sits with us — frank as ever — for an honest, insightful conversation about legacy, leadership, and what still keeps him awake at night.
Rotimi Amaechi is still standing. And as you’ll read, he’s still very much not done.
Interview by Konye Chelsea Nwabogor
Sixty looks good on you – but beyond appearances, what has this milestone really meant for you personally?
Gratitude. I’m grateful to God for his grace. And that the desire to worship God is more as I get older.
Let’s go back to the beginning. What was your childhood in Rivers State like? The real story, not the political version.
I have told this story several times, you know. It wasn’t easy for me. I had a poor background. My parents struggled to get me through the University, after which I began to sponsor myself and my siblings. I depended so much on God, and in the end, He delivered me. At a very young age, I entered politics at the age of 22, which would be approximately thirty-eight years ago. And I’ve since been in politics, struggling to make my contributions, and my achievements are there for everyone to see. From the positions I’ve held, from being the Speaker of the parliament of the University, and then being in the government, all makes me thank God for the wonderful life he has given me.
Were you raised in a politically conscious home – or did that come later?
Well, my father was into politics. He contested for Councillorship; I can’t remember if he won or not. So when you consider that, I literally took over from him. By 1992 I was already in politics. I had become Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
You became Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly in your 30s. That’s young. Did you feel ready, or were you just simply bold?
I was ready. Yes. I was one of the best Speakers the country had produced at that time, and I give glory to God for giving me that opportunity. Again, I would also be grateful to Dr. Peter Odili for allowing God to use him as an instrument to uplift me.
You were Governor at 42, Minister at 50. When did you hit your Peak politically – or do you feel it hasn’t happened yet?
I feel it hasn’t happened. The presidency is there for people to compete. Well, not to ‘compete’, to consider, and I’ve not also withdrawn from politics.
Politics in Nigeria is not for the faint-hearted. What has kept you going through the turbulence – loyalty, belief or something else entirely?
God!
You’re famously blunt. You say what others are afraid to say? Has that honesty helped your career? Or cost you more than people realise?
Those who like me like me for being blunt and honest. Everybody knows where they stand with me. So those who like me, like me for that. They want to know upfront. You want to know upfront; you would not want to be deceived. What you see most times, for example, is people lying up and down, people deceiving you. You make your calculation based on the promises people have made, only to get disappointed. You have lost out because of that. Who would want that? So, those kind of people are happy that they’re dealing with a man like me who’s straightforward. The upbringing I received from my parents was different; they didn’t teach us how to lie, nor did they encourage us to do so. So, I teach my children not to lie, and I hope that at the end of the day, they will be like me. Those who hate me hate me because they don’t want to be told the truth. They don’t like me because I tell the truth. That’s what it is. Sometimes, it’s advantageous. But if it was disadvantageous, then I wouldn’t have gotten to where I got to (in my career).
Your emergence as Governor through the Supreme Court in 2007 remains one of Nigeria’s most extraordinary political comebacks. What did that teach you about fate and power?
That was all God, trust me. I fear God so much because I know what he can do. Nobody else. I tell you, yes, it’s God. People should look at what happened to me. If anyone thinks it isn’t God, I wish them luck. But again, we must not fail to remain transparent; we must continue being transparent, at the least.
As Minister of Transportation, what achievement are you most proud of? The one you believe history will remember.
Lekki Deep Seaport. We built the Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch. We built it from scratch. I went to China to sign the agreement from scratch. There was nothing when I got to that land. I went to the President to seek support. He gave me all the support I needed, and I ensured that it was indeed achieved. It was earlier abandoned when the Concessionaires approached me, and I said, are you ready now? They said yes. The then NPA MD(Hadiza Bala Usman) didn’t want them to. She made it extremely difficult. I had to put my feet down, and I said this must be achieved. And there was so much ethnic noise back then, but I insisted that it was done because it’s a national infrastructure. The next one is the Railways you have.
People are talking about the Railway from Lagos. Remember the Completion of Abuja to Kaduna and Warri to Itakpe? They were all my ideas. Kaduna to Kano and Kano to Maradi – they were started. Okay, I cannot claim ideas – the one of Kaduna to Kano was Obasanjo’s idea. He had a plan of what the railway network would be like in Nigeria. The one from Kano to Maradi was ECOWAS Protocol. I was instrumental to bringing them to fruition by God’s grace. I think that if we don’t allow people to ignore and rewrite history, then the country won’t forget me for that.
What about the Deep Blue Project (Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure) ?
Well, that has to do with security; people may tend to forget over the years that it was my idea. The one that nobody can forget you is the one they can see on ground, the one where they can say, who built this.
What’s your honest assessment of where Nigeria is right now – economically, socially, and morally? Do you think we are addressing the real problems – or are we constantly sidestepping them for convenience and survival?
Why do you ask a question that you already know the answer to? Now, there’s no way – you know that I will not say to you, and I will repeat it to the world that Tinubu has done damage to us. Even your children will come to suffer the consequences of his term. You will be shocked at the kind of harm they are doing. They don’t care. They have no fear. They have no respect for Nigerians. People are buying new cars, businesses, and houses. I wonder what he’s doing? Only looking for opponents. But right there, people are stealing, they’re not afraid. They are building houses with the money. They are laundering the money and building hotels.
In 2023, you made a bold run for the presidency. What was the most revealing thing that experience taught you?
That I should try again! I need to get back to it that in collaboration with the people, we can change Nigeria together.
So that means you are going to run again?
I don’t know. I just see that what it looks like is that I should try again.
If given the opportunity again, would you contest for the presidency?
Of course!
Many Nigerians feel that their leaders are out of touch. Have you ever struggled with that? The disconnection between office and reality?
I’ve always not been distant from reality. I’ve always helped. I knew what it is to be poor because I have been there too. I’ll give you an example. I found it difficult with my siblings to go through primary and secondary schools because we had no money. We managed to go through it. My elder sister used to remind me because I had to go to University, others stayed home for me to graduate. I then had to train the rest of my siblings. So whenever I complain like, ‘Oh, this is too much work, this person should leave me, why do I have to continue to pay? Everybody feels I have to fund everybody.’ She tells me, ‘You are the family investment.’ So, I understand poverty. I’ll give you another example. I jog through the roads around my neighbourhood, and I see some children come up to me; they watch me pass, and one day, I ask why they don’t go to school. Five of them. And they said their father does not have the money to send them to school. So I told my staff, ‘enrol them in a school, whether private or government, I will pay.’ They enrolled them in a private school. Two of them have finished primary school and are now in Secondary school.
And we will train them on the path they choose until they earn their degrees from the University. I also appealed to their father not to have more children. But he has had two more in addition to the five I am training in school. I feel sad that if I hadn’t jogged through that place, five children would have been wasting away with no education.
When I told my security that I would train the children up to University, one of them said, ‘Oga, I have children too.
It’s not that I’m that rich. I can’t fend for the world, but I feel sad seeing primary school age children on the streets instead of being in school. If I become President, I was toying with the idea yesterday – can you, as President, declare free and compulsory education? My mind tells me, you can do that. You may not have the money, but you can push your way through, just to ensure that more persons go to school. If you can’t train everybody, at least train up to 80 per cent of Nigerians. There was a time in Tunisia when almost everybody was a graduate. If everybody goes to school, the politicians will not be successful at manipulating the people with the issue of ethnicity and division. What’s the problem in Nigeria? If you give me a chance to be President of Nigeria, I will change the concept of indigeneship to citizenship. Indigeneship is what kills Nigerians, and that’s what you have. And now I look at it, and I think we should look more at being citizens of Nigeria, not indigenes of any subdivisions. I believe the government is not even looking at doing better, and that is it. The World Bank recently asked the question, ‘Where are the proceeds from the subsidies?’ If you put back those funds into the economy, it will grow the economy. You get back the Middle Class that we don’t have now because we have just two classes, which are the rich and the poor.
People often say we need a new generation of leaders. But who is preparing them? And do you see any hope in the next crop of political Minds?
That’s a bit difficult to answer, so I don’t incite, and they use it against me. Some youths are working hard towards changing Nigeria. Some just want to pick up from where the current leaders stop. The good thing are the ones working hard to change things for the good of the country.
If you were to start again, not in politics, but in another field, what would you choose? And why?
Farming. Imagine that I have a chicken farm that produces ten thousand chickens, and you’re selling one for one hundred. That’s one million, right?
How has your family shaped the man you are today? And how do they cope with all the chaos of politics?
My wife has been such a wonderful, caring and understanding wife. At first, she was sceptical about my coming back home late at night. One day, as Governor, I asked her to come with me. At about 10 pm, I picked her up and went on my security rounds. It was a bad night, and we ran until the security met up with me; they were trying to deploy when my wife saw that her life was in danger, and I actually had to take her back home. I dropped her off and went back to join the security team, we were on patrol until 4 am.
But the most important thing is she had participated the most of my political life. So she knows all of it, and she is such a wonderful wife, mother, and director. She takes care of the children. She was at one time both father and mother to the children. When it gets tough, and she needs a father to scream at the children, she brings me in. When she needs to be a mother, she becomes a mother to them and all that. So she’s such a great woman.
