Why I Can’t Join Issues with Children or Former Employee Like You — Amaechi Replies Wike
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In a pointed response to recent criticisms, former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has explained why he refrains from engaging in public spats with the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stating that he cannot “join issues with children” or former subordinates.
Amaechi, speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time program on Tuesday evening, offered sharp remarks regarding his former Chief of Staff, whom he once appointed during his tenure as governor.
The former Rivers governor revealed that he had deliberately chosen to appoint Wike as his Chief of Staff rather than as Commissioner for Finance, suggesting a desire to keep closer supervision over him.
“I wanted him as chief of staff so I could supervise him. I didn’t offer him commissioner for finance,” Amaechi said.
He further commented on Wike’s recent attempt to dismiss Amaechi’s statement at his 60th birthday celebration last week, where Amaechi remarked, “We’re all hungry.” Wike had retorted that Amaechi was not hungry for food but for political relevance — a statement Amaechi clearly found patronizing and inaccurate.
In response, Amaechi challenged Wike’s implication that he was pivotal in Amaechi’s political ascension to the governorship of Rivers State, crediting other key players and institutions instead.
“God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and the Rivers State people made me governor,” he emphasized. “Ask him how he made me governor. I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children.”
Amaechi then appeared to mock what he characterized as Wike’s inflated self-importance, stating: “You know, he made himself chief of staff. He made himself governor. He made himself minister. He made himself local government chairman.”
His tone throughout the interview was firm yet dismissive, reinforcing his stance that he would not descend into a war of words with a former aide. “I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children,” he repeated, indicating a broader disapproval of Wike’s confrontational style.
The political feud between the two men, once close allies within the Rivers State government, has been simmering for years, with both leaders belonging to rival factions and now serving in different capacities at the federal level.
This latest exchange adds another chapter to their long-standing rivalry, one that continues to reflect broader divisions within the political class in Rivers State and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). As both continue to wield considerable influence, their war of words underscores the enduring tensions within Nigeria’s power structures.
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