• Rotimi Amaechi: Attack on Onaiyekan unwarranted, cleric holding govt to account
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Former governor of Cross River State and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Donald Duke, yesterday warned that Nigeria is heading towards a dangerous path that requires urgent intervention, saying the country could face disaster within the next four years if its current trajectory is not reversed.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Duke argued that the nation’s worsening economic, governance and leadership challenges had combined to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability, while calling for a united opposition to offer Nigerians a credible alternative.
His remarks came as former Rivers Governor and Minister of Transportation as well as African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Rotimi Amaechi, defended Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan over his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Amaechi insisted that the cleric had done nothing wrong but was merely holding the government accountable over the hardship confronting Nigerians.
Duke said the current state of the country demanded immediate action, stressing that continued inaction would have grave consequences. “The direction the country is going, I think, requires urgent, very urgent intervention,” he said. “Another four years, if we don’t change the trajectory, I see disaster already looming. It will deepen further,” he pointed out.
According to him, the opposition must put aside personal ambitions and unite in the national interest.
“We have a splintered opposition with a common goal. It doesn’t work that way, so I want to be the voice of reason, because eventually I think we all have to come together to decide where this country would go,” Duke stated.
He described Nigeria’s problems as multifaceted, arguing that weak economic growth, poor governance and ineffective leadership had reinforced one another over the years.
“A combination of all. The economy is broken, it’s not growing,” he said, adding that insecurity across the country was merely a symptom of deeper economic failures. “We have not grown the economy. Governance is poor. In the last close to 20 years, there’s been very little governance going on, more politics than governance,” he explained.
He also questioned how businesses could thrive under prevailing lending conditions. Duke maintained that the government exists primarily to create an environment where citizens could be productive and secure.
“The focal point of governance is to ensure that the citizens are optimally productive within a safe and orderly environment. Our citizens are not productive. The environment is not safe. There’s no order. So it’s chaos,” he stated.
He added that if the current trend continued unchecked, the country’s future would become even more uncertain.
“If it’s not stemmed now, the urgency of now, I wouldn’t want to be around in the next 20 to 30 years,” he said.
Reflecting on his record as governor of Cross River State, Duke said leadership was ultimately about assembling competent people rather than rewarding political loyalists.
“When you’re governing a country like Nigeria… you must look for the best hands. The politics is over, now go to the governance… Make sure you leave this place better than you met it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amaechi dismissed suggestions that Cardinal Onaiyekan’s criticism of the Tinubu administration was politically motivated, insisting the cleric was motivated solely by concern for the welfare of Nigerians.
Speaking on Channels Television yesterday, Amaechi said Onaiyekan neither supported any political party nor any presidential hopeful. “He supports nobody. I see Cardinal Onaiyekan regularly; I worship in his private chapel. Cardinal Onaiyekan himself supports nobody,” he said.
Amaechi explained that the Cardinal’s interventions were driven by his concern over the worsening socio-economic conditions in the country.
“The only thing that pains him is the level of indiscretion and poverty in the country and corruption. He worries about that,” he stated.
He rejected claims that Onaiyekan had crossed any line by speaking publicly about the country’s situation, arguing instead that religious leaders had a responsibility to challenge governments whenever citizens were suffering.
“I just think that they tried to intimidate him… so they are trying to intimidate him the way they are trying to intimidate the population,” Amaechi said.
His comments followed criticism of Onaiyekan by some government officials and allies after the Cardinal disclosed that Catholic bishops had informed Tinubu during a recent meeting that Nigeria was “bleeding” under the weight of economic hardship and had also raised concerns about preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Presidency subsequently faulted the Cardinal’s public remarks, insisting the administration’s economic reforms were yielding positive outcomes, while the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accused the former Archbishop of Abuja of political bias.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had also backed Onaiyekan, urging the government to focus on addressing the country’s economic and security challenges rather than criticising the cleric.