Rotimi Amaechi
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (born 27 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician who served as the fifth Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and serves currently as the Nigerian Minister for Transportation.
Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi
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Profile
Minister of TransportationI: Incumbent
Assumed office: August 21, 2019
Preceded by: Himself
In office: November 11, 2015 – May 28, 2019
Preceded by: Audu Idris Umar
Succeeded by: Himself
Governor of Rivers State
In office: October 2007 – May 2015
Deputy: Tele Kuru; Preceded by: Celestine Omehia
Succeeded by: Ezenwo Nyesom Wike
Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly
In office: 1999–2007
Governor: Peter Odili
Personal Details
Born: Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi 27 May 1965 (age 54)
Ubima, Ikwerre, Eastern Region, Nigeria
(now Ubima Ikwerre, Rivers State, Nigeria)
Nationality: Nigerian
Political party: APC (2014-present)
Other political affiliations: (1999-2014)
Spouse(s): Judith Amaechi
Alma mater: University of Port Harcourt.
He was re-elected for a second term on 26 April 2011. Amaechi was a member of the PDP before defecting to the APC on 27 November 2013. He is now a serving Federal Minister of Transportation. He is also the director general of Buhari reelection campaign.
He was nominated for ministerial appointment by president Buhari in July 2019. Amaechi was ask to take a bow and go during his screening by the Senate. He was sworn in as Minister for Transport of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Early Life
Amaechi was born in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State to the family of late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs Mary Amaechi. His first and last names are Ikwerre meaning “God is strength or power” and “who knows tomorrow” respectively. He was raised in Diobu, a densely populated neighbourhood in Port Harcourt.
Education
and had his early education at St Theresa's Primary School from 1970 to 1976. He earned his West African Senior 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 Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS).
Early Career
He completed the mandatory Nationals Youths Service Corps in 1988, and thereafter joined Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited owned by Peter Odili where he worked until 1992. He also a director of several companies, including West Africa Glass Industry Limited as well as Risonpalm Nigeria Limited.
Political Career
State politics:
Amaechi first office in politics was 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, Peter Odili. He was the Rivers State's Secretary of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) caretaker committee after in 1996 during the transition programme of General Sani Abacha
Peter Odili believed in Amaechi as a young man with potential in politics, and brought him under his wing. Their relationship further increased 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. Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly 1999-2007.
Further information: 4th Rivers State House of Assembly and 5th Rivers State House of Assembly.
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 River State 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 as the Governor of Rivers State (2007-2015).
He contested and won the PDP primary for Rivers State Governor in 2007. His name was substituted by the party, an action which he challenged in court. The case eventually got to the Supreme Court. He became governor on October 26, 2007, after the Supreme Court ruled that he was the rightful candidate of the PDP and winner of the April 2007 Governorship election in Rivers State. He was reelected for a second term of four years in April 2011.
Achievements as the Governor of Rivers
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 was also committed to urban renewal and modernization of transportation services. His administration began building a monorail to provide mass transportation within the city of Port Harcourt. Some power plant projects (Afam, Trans Amadi, Onne) were also built to improve power supply in the State.
The dualisation of Rumuokuta-Choba East-West Road, Obi Akpor , construction of Eleme junction flyover, construction of Omofo-Agaba Ndele Road, dredging works/Roads at Opobo New Layout, construction of Ozuzu to CSS Isu-Ogida Owu Egbu.
Others were dualisation of Airport-Isiokpo/Omarelu Roa, dualization of Ada George Phases 1 and 2/ Choba phase 2 NTA/Choba Airport , dualisation of Rumuola/Rumuokuta Road and dualisation of First Bank/Rumuomasi Road, dualization of slaughter-Trans Amadi/Rumuobiakani Road.
Shoreprotection and land reclamation of Egbomung/Oluk-Ama, construction of bridge at Bolo Creek with approaches, dualisation of Eneka-Igbo Etche link Road, construction of Apani internal Roads.
Construction of Nyokhana-Kenkhana Link Road with Bridge from Luuwa to Bere construction of Odiolugbani-Enito 1 and 2-Oshie Road, expansion of Mbiama-Akinima Road, construction of Okeh-Ihie-Apani-Omarelu Road, construction of Bori internal Roads phase 3 , construction of Abua/Okoba close Rumuibekwe with extension to Elelenwo etc.
Achievements as the Minister of Transportation
Minister of Transportation
Amaechi currently heads the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
In an interview granted to journalists Mr. Amaechi stated that among the achievements of the Ministry of Transportation under his leadership was the introduction of military personnel in the country’s waterways to ensure security and reduce the plight of transporters
completion of the Abuja to Kaduna rail, we are happy that we are near completion of Lagos to Ibadan rail and also near completion of Itape to Warri rail,” Amaechi said.
He however said the major setback for the Lagos to Ibadan Rail project was completion of the various stations along the route.
“We expect to complete all these projects and move on to Ibadan to Kano. We are going to work extremely hard in Ibadan to Kano to make sure we finish before we leave.
“We believe we will commence work on Lagos to Calabar, hopefully commence work on Abuja-Warri and also hopefully we will get the presidential approval to commence work on Portharcourt-Maiduguri,” Amaechi added.
Amaechi said: “We have started commercial activities until we started encountering pressure on Kaduna-Abuja route.
“We then looked at the number of passengers we were encountering and decided to transfer the coaches of Itape-Warri to Kaduna-Abuja route hoping that in January once we have more coaches, then we will send some to Itape-Warri.”
Personal life
He is married to Judith Ameachi and they have three boys.
Awards
Chibuike Amaechi holds the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He is a Christian Catholic and a Knight of St. Johns.
Rotimi Amaechi was recently awarded the Minister of the Decade, by THISDAY newspaper.
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