Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s former minister of transportation has expressed his disappointment over the calmness that’s greeted the country’s economic downturn.
The former governor of Rivers State said he had expected Nigerians to respond to the soaring cost of living through various agitations or protests.
Amaechi, speaking in an interview with Igbere TV, decried the high cost of living in the country, noting that rising cost fuel is compounding to the economic pressures Nigerians were already grappling with.
He stated that he was surprised by the calmness with which Nigerians have reacted so far despite the economic headwinds.
“I expected more agitation, especially from the youth.
“I thought we would see protests in the streets, but it seems people are not expressing the kind of anger I expected,” Amaechi said.
His comments come on the heels of the latest hike in pump prices at the state-owned NNPC to N988 while other marketers pegged theirs at N1,200 or N1,300, piling pressure on already pressured Nigerians.
Amaechi raises concerns about the sudden quietness that has gripped the country in the face of an economic crisis, stating that the rising cost is affecting all and sundry.
He lamented how the country’s economy is being mismanaged with no pushback from the citizens, especially the youths.
“You cannot have a situation where a group of people are mismanaging resources and expect citizens to remain silent. I am truly baffled by the lack of action,” the transport minister who spent eight years under the immediate past administration said.
“The price of diesel is at an all-time high, and even some of us are finding it difficult to afford it. Yet, the general public seems unmoved,” he lamented.
Citing the recent Edo State elections as an example, Amaechi questioned whether politicians should be campaigning at all, given the state of the economy.
By Wasiu Alli @BusinessDay
