Minister of Transportation
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is the present Minister of Transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In his new assigned responsibility as a Minister, he has made significant milestone in his drive of the Federal Government Policy of linking all the State Capitals and Cities in Nigeria by Railway lines.
He is a great nationalist who believes in the mutual and peaceful co-existence of all peoples of Nigeria. He was one of the early champions against the huge financial improprieties and corruption of the last Administration, and led the campaign as the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organization, which saw to the voting out of an incumbent President, for the first time in Nigeria.
Mr. Amaechi was a two-term Governor of Rivers State, whose strides in Governance and Development, especially in Education, Health, Road Infrastructure, Accountability and Transparency will remain in stands of Rivers State. Some of the policies and efforts of his Administration as Governor received both National and International recognition and commendation. Through administration, Port Harcourt (the capital city of Rivers State) was voted World Book Capital, 2014.
He was elected by his colleague Governors as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum for a cumulative two-term of four years (2011-2015)
Rt. Hon. Amaechi holds the record as the first and only Speaker to have presided over Rivers State House of Assembly for an unbroken period of eight (8) years; a record yet to be equaled by any Nigerian Speaker. He was the pioneer Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, a position he held for a record two terms.
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has also established international presence. Currently, he is a serving Member, Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR), a position he was appointed into in 2016. His strides in Education earned him and Associated Fellow of United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), June 2014 and hold of the United Nations official passport.
Rotimi was born May 27, 1965, in a small village known as Umuordu-Ubima in Ikwerre ethnic nationality of the present Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria.
Endowed with high intelligence and a fertile mind, he started his Primary Education at St. Theresa’s Primary School, Ubima, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1976. He later attended the Government Secondary School, Okolobiri, (now in Bayelsa State) where he sat and passed his West African School Certificate Examinations in 1982.
Thereafter, he was admitted into the University of Port Harcourt where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. He later obtained a Masters degree in English from the same university.
While in the University, he exhibited great leadership potentials and was elected National President of the National Union of Rivers State Student (NURSS), a platform he used to peacefully organize and coordinate the affairs of Rivers State students in all tertiary institutions across Nigeria. This possibly was his first exposure to practical politics and leadership, though at a learning stage.