Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that he would have implemented some of President Bola Tinubu's current policies had he been elected as Nigeria's president, while criticizing that the benefits of these policies are not reaching ordinary Nigerians.

Speaking at his 60th birthday celebration in Abuja on Saturday, Amaechi expressed concern that the gains from Tinubu's economic reforms are ending up "in private pockets" rather than benefiting the general population.

"If I were the president, yes, I would pursue some of the policies they are pursuing, but ask what the failure is: the failure is that the gains of those policies are in their private pockets," Amaechi said.

The former Rivers State governor specifically referenced the fuel subsidy removal, questioning the allocation of funds previously spent on subsidies. "At a point we were paying between four to five trillion naira as subsidy, where is the money now? If they dumped it on the economy, you will not be crying," he stated.

Nigerian Politicians Quarrel Over Resource Sharing

Amaechi also criticized the Nigerian political class, suggesting that the country's leadership lacks genuine capitalist ideals and instead focuses on dividing national resources among themselves.

"In Nigeria there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians, the quarrel among the elites is about sharing," he remarked.

The former minister called for politicians to prioritize national interests, stating, "We want to submit to the opposition if it can lead us out of this problem and for the opposition to lead us out, we must all agree to submit ourselves to the interest of the nation first."

Amaechi's comments come amid ongoing debates about the effectiveness of President Tinubu's economic reforms, which have included the removal of fuel subsidies and other significant policy changes that have affected the cost of living for many Nigerians.