Background
Rotimi Amaechi was born on 27 May 1965 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State to the family of late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs Mary Amaechi. He was raised in Diobu, a densely populated neighbourhood in Port Harcourt.
Rotimi Amaechi was born on 27 May 1965 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State to the family of late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs Mary Amaechi. He was raised in Diobu, a densely populated neighbourhood in Port Harcourt.
He had his early education at St Theresa's Primary School from 1970 to 1976. He earned his West African School Certificate in 1982 after attending Government Secondary School Okolobiri. Chibuike received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) in English Studies and Literature from the University of Port Harcourt in 1987, where he was the President of the National Association of Rivers State Students (NURSS).
Rotimi Amaechi began his political career as secretary of the now defunct National Republican Convention in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. Between 1992 and 1994, he was Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Sir (Dr.) Peter Odili, and also a member of the Board of West Africa Glass industry as well as Risonpalm Nigeria Limited. Dr. Peter Odili believed in him as a young man with potential in politics, and adopted him as a political son, guiding and nurturing him in politics, and consequently facilitating his election into the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999. This relationship between him and Odili translated into a harmonious relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in Rivers State, until when Rotimi Amaechi launched a campaign against the State government, and verbally attacked the image of the State Governor, in an effort to succeed Peter Odili as Governor in 2007.
In 1999, he contested and won a seat to become a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly to represent his constituency. He was subsequently elected as the Speaker of the House of Assembly. Amaechi was elected the Chairman of Nigeria's Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies. He was reelected into the State House of Assembly in May 2003 and was also re-elected as the Speaker. In 2003 when the National Assembly moved to hijack the legislative functions of the State house of Assembly as enshrined in the constitution, he and his colleagues took the matter to Nigeria's supreme court and the court gave a judgment that the control and supervision of local government is the prerogative of the State House of Assembly.
He was reelected for a second term of four years in April 2011. In addition, he has an ongoing refinery project in Ghana.
Amaechi was appointed the Director-general of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Campaign. He was then appointed as the Minister of Transportation by President Muhammadu Buhari which was announced on November 11, 2015.
His administration invested in infrastructure development, construction of roads and bridges sticking to the vision of connecting all parts of the state by road. The governor is also committed to urban renewal and modernization of transportation services as his administration is building a monorail to provide mass transportation within the city of Port Harcourt. Some power plants projects (Afam, Trans Amadi, Onne) are also ongoing or nearing completion to improve power supply in the State.
Rotimi Amaechi is a devout Catholic member who strongly believes in the Supremacy of God. He is dedicated and committed in the church, thereby conferring on him a Knight of St. Johns.
Amaechi believes that as a political leader, your main function is to serve the people under your jurisdiction. He was involved in General Infrastructure development, Construction of 21stCentury Schools, Monorail, Roads, Power Plants and Bridges. •He is widely seen as improving the general living conditions of the people of Rivers State while he served as Speaker and particularly as Governor of the state.
On 6 March 2014, he gave a speech criticizing the institutionalization of corruption by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying "The response of the regime to corruption is to imprison those exposing corruption. The impunity in corruption is extended to the punishment of those who fight corruption."[4] Specific allegations included "$20 billion is alleged to have gone missing at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) just as both fuel and kerosene subsidy have become questionable."
Quotations:
"If the presence of soldiers could stop violence, by now Borno should be the citadel of joy and happiness where people would be dancing."
"There are many soldiers in Abuja and of all places that we have thought would be very secure is the plaza, which was bombed recently. So, police are enough."
"A leader must be ready to sacrifice his life for his country. And if I was the president of Nigeria, I would not because I want to win election split this country into two religious lines."
"From come and be vice-president, what is he now? So, why do people ask me whether I want to be president after this kind of intervention by God? Why not ask me whether I am fasting?"
Rotimi Amaechi has been a political gladiator, a rugged fighter since his early years in politics. The position of the governor of Rivers state was not brought to him on a silver platter in 2007; it was rather a product of grueling legal encounter. Amaechi won the PDP governorship primaries in Rivers state, and was about standing for the election when the PDP under the influence of the former president Olusegun Obasanjo substituted his name with that of Celestine Omehia, Obasanjo’s cousin. Omehia won the election, however, Amaechi refused to give up; he approached the Supreme Court and was declared winner a couple of months later.
He is married, and has three sons
