Profile
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (born 27 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Transportation. He was elected the Governor of Rivers State in 2007, on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party. He later defected to All Progressives Congress during his second term as Governor of Rivers state.
Personal Life
He was born on 27th May 1965, in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State, to the family of the late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mary Amaechi. He grew up in Diobu, a densely populated area of Port Harcourt. Amaechi is married to Judith Amaechi and they have three sons. He is a Catholic and a Knight of the order of Saint John (KSJ). He and his wife, Judith, released a debut single titled ‘Blessed The People The Lord Has Chosen As His Heritage’ in commemoration of his 56th birthday.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State | M.A English | |
| University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State | B.A English Studies and Literature (Hons) | 1987 |
| Government Secondary School, Okolobiri, Rivers State | West African Senior School Certificate | 1982 |
| St Theresa’s Primary School, Ubima, Rivers State | First School Leaving Certificate | 1970-1976 |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Risonpalm Nigeria Limited | Director | |
| West Africa Glass Industry Limited | Director | |
| Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited | Chairman | 1988-1992 |
Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State
27 May 1965
Rivers State
All Progressive Congress (APC)
Christianity
Governor, Rivers State (2007-2015)
Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly (1999-2007)
Minister of Transportation
abdulfata.ahmed@kwarastate.gov.ng
Political History
Amaechi’s political journey began during the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic, where he served as the Secretary to the now-defunct National Republican Convention, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In 1992, Amaechi was made the Special Assistant to the then Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili. He served in this capacity until 1994.
During the transition programme of General Sani Abacha in 1996, Amaechi was the Rivers State’s Secretary of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) Caretaker Committee.
In 1999, he was elected a state legislator under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to represent Ikwerre Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly. Upon his election, he was also made the Speaker of the House of Assembly – a position he held until 2007. During this time, Amaechi was elected the Chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies.
Amaechi’s relationship with Peter Odili was a smooth one, until Amaechi launched a campaign against the Rivers State government, and verbally attacked the image of the State Governor (Odili), in an attempt to succeed him in 2007.
In 2007, Amaechi contested for the governorship seat of Rivers State, and he won it on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party. Amaechi was sworn in as the Governor of Rivers State in October 2007. He was re-elected for a second term in 2011.
In 2011, Amaechi succeeded Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and was re-elected to this position in 2013.
Amaechi was amongst seven serving governors who formed the G-7 faction within the PDP, in 2013. A disagreement within the party led to five members of the G-7, including Amaechi, defecting to the All Progressives Congress. Subsequently, Amaechi became the Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign.
Following Buhari’s victory in the 2015 general elections, Amaechi was appointed the Minister of Transportation by the President. He has held this position since then.
On April 9th, 2022, Amaechi declared his interest to contest in the Presidential election in 2023, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He came second in the APC presidential primaries held in June 2022 behind Bola Tinubu with 316 votes from the delegates.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
- 2022 Africa Blue Economy Alliance Award in recognition of contributions in advancing the blue economy in the African continent
- 2021 The Sun Public Service Award
- 2021 Independent Newspapers Minister of the Year Awards
- 2020 Award of Honour conferred by This Day Newspaper
- National Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
- 2000 “Award of Excellence as the Most productive Legislative House in Nigeria” by the Nigerian Union of Journalists
Project
- Constructed a monorail to provide mass transportation within the city of Port Harcourt
- Refurbished the Port Harcourt International Airport
- Developed some power plant projects in Afam, Trans Amadi, Onne
- Initiated the Deep Blue security project
- Constructed 500 modern classrooms,; retrained and recruited 13,000 teachers
- Built over 110 health centres located in nearly all the wards in the state
- Built referral facilities in Port Harcourt – Prof. Kelsey Harrison Hospital and Dental-Maxillo Facial Hospital
- Increased the internally generated revenue of the state to an estimated ₦7 billion per month as against ₦2billion in 2007.
Criticism/Controversy
- Amaechi has been consistently accused by his successor, Governor Wike, of participating in corrupt activities. Wike specifically alleged that Amaechi used state funds to finance President Buhari’s 2015 election campaign, by selling Rivers state-owned oil and gas assets, and fraudulently misappropriating the proceeds of the sale amounting to $309 million. Amaechi has, however, always denied the allegations.
- In 2021, Amaechi was criticised based on his statements during an interview that stealing was going on quietly under the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) -led APC regime. According to Amaechi, the ‘non-display’ of stolen public funds by political office holders was part of Mr Buhari’s legacies when compared to the 16-year rule of the PDP government.
