Politicians Won’t Stop Stealing If Nigerians Don’t Stone Us — Amaechi

Former Minister of Transportation and a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has said Nigerian politicians will continue to loot public funds unless citizens take a stand and demand accountability.

Amaechi made the statement on Friday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he expressed concern over what he described as the steady collapse of governance in the country.

The former Rivers State governor said he had long cautioned Nigerians about the conduct of the political class, insisting that politicians have continued to impoverish citizens while enriching themselves.

“As a governor of Rivers State at Freedom House in a ceremony organised by Prof Wole Soyinka, I told Nigerians that we the politicians will not stop stealing if Nigerians don’t stone us,” Amaechi said.

He accused politicians of worsening poverty across the country, saying many public office holders have failed in their responsibilities.

“The politicians are impoverishing Nigerians,” he said.

Amaechi, however, maintained that not all politicians are corrupt, describing himself as “a different politician” while noting that some governors have made meaningful contributions to governance.

“I’m a different politician and there are others as well. A lot of governors have made positive contributions. But governance is slowly dying and it’s quite painful,” he added.

His remarks come amid growing public frustration over economic hardship, rising inflation, insecurity, and allegations of corruption in government.