Former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has responded to recent criticisms from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stating that he has no interest in trading words with “children.”

Appearing on ARISE TV on Tuesday, Amaechi addressed Wike’s remarks about his recent comments on the state of hunger and hardship in Nigeria.

“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary, and the people of Rivers State made me governor. Ask him how he made me governor,” Amaechi said. “I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children.”

The political spat began after Amaechi, during his 60th birthday celebration, lamented the growing economic hardship in the country. He expressed frustration with the direction of national affairs and the role of leadership in shaping Nigeria's future.

“We’re all hungry all of us. If you’re not hungry, I am,” he said.
“Nigerian elites are not the problem. The problem is the followership. There are no true capitalists here. We don’t even produce anything. Sometimes I wonder if we truly want to be a country.”

Wike, in a media chat on Monday, dismissed Amaechi’s comments as “politically motivated,” accusing him of hypocrisy and self-interest.

“He didn’t talk about hunger when he was a super minister of transportation. But now that he’s out of power, he suddenly remembers hunger. He is just hungry for power,” Wike stated.
“That’s not concern that’s an insult to Nigerians.”

In his rebuttal, Amaechi refuted Wike’s suggestion that he was responsible for his political rise. He asserted that his journey to the governorship was made possible by divine intervention, a landmark Supreme Court judgment, and the support of Rivers people.

“Wike didn’t make me governor. I was made governor by God, by Peter Odili, by the courts, and by the people,” Amaechi emphasized.

Amaechi also offered insight into why he appointed Wike as Chief of Staff rather than Commissioner for Finance during his tenure.

“Mohammed Adoke flew from Abuja to Port Harcourt to ask me to make him [Wike] Commissioner for Finance. I refused. I needed to supervise him closely, so I made him Chief of Staff,” he explained.
“He didn’t appoint himself; I did. Whether he likes it or not, I was once his boss.”

Taking a final swipe, Amaechi criticized Wike’s political behavior and what he described as a disregard for legacy and decorum.

“There’s no more respect for family names. People just do and say anything these days,” he said.

The clash marks yet another chapter in the long-running feud between the two Rivers-born politicians, both of whom have dominated the state’s political landscape for over a decade.