Former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has opened up during a recent interview on Arise News about why he has deliberately avoided returning to the state he once governed.
Amaechi, who also served as Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, spoke candidly about the emotional toll he experiences when he sees how some of the key projects from his administration have been left in ruins or completely neglected.
The former governor stated that revisiting Rivers State only triggers a deep sense of frustration and mental distress because of how poorly maintained these legacy projects have become.
According to Amaechi, many of the schools he built—both primary and secondary—have not only been abandoned but also vandalised. These were institutions he said were carefully planned and built to a high standard, with some even likened to universities due to their structure and quality.
Amaechi noted that his administration went as far as bringing in an Indian agency to manage the schools, importing science teachers from India while hiring Nigerian teachers for arts subjects. But today, those schools are no longer functional.
He said, “The schools are now abandoned, vandalised. That’s why I don’t go to Rivers State because it gives you mental disorder.”
He also pointed to other major infrastructure he delivered during his time in office, including six flyovers and a new city project designed to have 24-hour electricity. Sadly, he says, these have all suffered a similar fate—left unused and allowed to fall into disrepair.
“I built six flyovers. They’re there and I did not make noise. I didn’t call the President to come and commission,” he said during the interview.
Amaechi now stands in opposition to both his state’s current leadership and the national government led by his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Though once a key figure in the APC-led government, he is now working with a coalition preparing for the 2027 elections, seeking to unseat the current president, Bola Tinubu.
