By Egufe Yafugborhi

PORT HARCOURT – CANADA and United States (US) citizens of Nigerian descent have enjoined Nigerians to embrace the choice of Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for president come 2023 as a pan Nigeria project because no one can go wrong picking Amaechi.

The diaspora voices, coalesced as the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi-Move Up (CRA-Move Up) Campaign, Canada/USA, noted that though most aspirants gunning for the 2023 presidency are capable of holding the top office, the antecedents, experience and disposition of Amaechi as most detribalised puts him ahead of the rest.

Joe Korka-Waadah, the Director General, CRA Move Up, in Nigeria canvassing support for the minister, told Vanguard yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers state that, “We’ve been appealing to him for long to throw self to the ring. Eventually he did. We are very pleased and I came to represent the organisation at that declaration.”

On Amaechi’s choice as most suitable, Ogoni born Korka-Waadah said, “It’s simple. No one can go wrong picking Amaechi. He is a very good leader, if you look at his antecedents till this very day.

“As Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly for eights years, he was the Speaker of All Speakers across the country. As Governor for eight years, he presided over the Governors Forum for so long. He’s got enormous experience in those capacities.

“Look at what he did in Rivers. Education was his priority, so was health, infrastructures and human capital development. He gave much education to Rivers people, even non indigenes, got scholarships to study in the best universities in the world.

“He didn’t come from a rich family, so he understands what it takes to be poor and he gave self education and has uplifted his family as well. Seven years after he left as Governor, there has been no recruitment, no promotions in government. Pensioners are being owed arrears.

“Go to the State Secretariat today and see the inciting and level of infrastructures decay. Elevators are dead, no light, staffs using private generators to work under inhuman conditions. It now takes “meruwas” to provide water for civil servants at the state secretariat. None of these was experienced when Amaechi was at the helms in Rivers.

“When he became governor, Rivers was hardly governable. Insecurity was such an issue, residents couldn’t dare go out at night. He stayed the course, established ICT driven intelligence gathering, assembled and equipped a team of the police with requisite training and incentives. In no time, he stabilised the state and it became too hot for the criminals to operate.

“As Minister of Transportation, you can see what has happened. There has been nobody in this whole country that has stirred such transformation as he continues to bring in that office.

“Above all, one of his very defining quality the country needs of a leader at the moment is that Amaechi isn’t dispose to making enemies and he is super selfless. He appoints people who are capable, no matter where you come from. These are what he will bring to bear in stirring Nigeria to greatness. So who would be wrong picking Amaechi, no one.”