Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has recounted taking several risks at the detriment of his life while mobilising against ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan.
News360 Info reports that the former Minister of Transportation spoke at the ninth edition of the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation (AAF) Annual Leadership Discourse, organised in Lagos State.
On his reason for mobilising to remove Jonathan, Amaechi said he disagreed with his leadership style, even though the ex-president would have been better than former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaech listed the dangers he faced under Goodluck, noting that the church, civil society organisations and pressure groups should revolt against oppression.
He said, “The reason for removing Goodluck, I will say this in my book, is that I didn’t agree with his leadership style. You may agree that his leadership might have been better than Buhari, but do not forget that by the time he was leaving office, the dollar had started rising to between N150 and N200.
“I was governor, right? So you say I have immunity, and I could do whatever I liked. But other people were also governors, but they were all scared. I brought out my neck to sacrifice it. How many of you knew that I was told not to enter Ekiti? I was governor and I was stubborn. I was governor at the age of 42, so I was stubborn. I said I must go there (Ekiti). We were there with the soldiers, struggling whether I would enter or not, until 5pm.
“A good man (soldier) then told me: ‘Sir, what I am doing to you now is not law, it is wrong. But in our profession, we must obey the last order. What I am about to do to you now is not part of my mandate, but I will do it. Sir, start now and leave here. Do not let darkness catch you anywhere because I can not account for your life. Wherever you are going, don’t let darkness meet you’. At that point, I was carrying, I think, Dr Ogunbiyi, who obviously panicked.
“So, we drove to the airport. We went to Akure Airport where I boarded the plane. Then the airport manager walked in and said: ‘Sorry sir, the airport is technically closed’. Then I asked: ‘What do you mean by the airport is technically closed?’ An airport is technically closed when a non-civil authority closes the airport. So we went to the tarmac where I saw one air force vehicle with a machine gun on top blocking the runway. What came to my mind at that time was: ‘do not be found in any dark place’. This was as a governor. So, I walked into my car, reversed and sped straight to Lagos.
“When we went to install the Emir of Kano. When we had succeeded, but it had not been announced, we told the governor of Kano State that we were leaving. He said: ‘okay.’ So, we went to the airport. I boarded my plane. I had chartered the plane, an Indian pilot, by the way. We took off. We were going to Abuja, but the weather was bad and I am always afraid of weather.
“So, we came back. Instead of landing in Kaduna, I said we couldn’t land in Kaduna because the governor of Kaduna was a member of the PDP and he was hostile. So, I said Let’s go back to Kano. We got to Kano where they didn’t let us land for 20 minutes. However, we eventually landed. When the weather improved, they called us to inform us that the weather had improved. We boarded the plane and were about to leave Kano when they told us we could not leave Kano. I asked why.
“They said it was an order from above. So, I called the former governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso, and informed him that there was an order from above that I shouldn’t leave Kano. He said: ‘come to the Government House’. And luckily for us, Aero Contractors landed. When Aero Contractors landed, we said: ‘Thank God, thank God.’ I told my staff: ‘ go and buy Aero Contractors tickets; wherever they were going, let us go’.
“Having gone to purchase Aero Contractors tickets, they returned to me to say: ‘Sir, they said we cannot buy Aero Contractors tickets.’ I asked: ‘Why? I thought they said only commercial aircraft could go. Private jets couldn’t go.’ However, they said: ‘No, you can’t go.’ So I said: ‘Then we will go to Government House.’ As I was talking, the director of SSS walked in and saluted me. He was the director of SSS in Rivers State before he was transferred to Kano. He said: ‘Oga, you must leave Kano now.
“Even if it means sleeping in Bichi.’ At the time, I didn’t know where Bichi was. I said: ‘why?’ He said: ‘I can’t account for your life.’ I told him: ‘But the governor has told me to come to the Government House.’ He said: ‘Don’t you go near there.’
“So, I requested for security, which he gave me. We bought fuel. He said: ‘Switch off your phones.’ We switched off our phones. By the time I left Kano, the people with me – Goje, who was about to cry, had slept off. Baraje and Professor Gambari had slept, and I was the only person who drove. By the time I got to Zaria, I needed to ease myself. I came down, eased myself. From Kaduna, God drove us because I was sleeping. In fact, I came down in Kaduna where I bought six cans of Red Bull. It didn’t work. So God drove us from Kaduna to Abuja.”
