Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of being “hungry for power, not food,” following Amaechi’s recent comments on Nigeria’s economic hardship.

Amaechi, while speaking at his 60th birthday celebration last week, decried the state of the economy, saying: “We’re all hungry, all of us are. If you’re not hungry, I am.

For us in the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power, we can remove him from this power.”

The former governor also criticised the Nigerian political class, claiming, “In Nigeria, there are no capitalist ideas among the politicians; it’s about sharing.”

However, Wike, who succeeded Amaechi as governor of Rivers State, dismissed the comment during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

“We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria,” Wike said. “I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry.”

Highlighting Amaechi’s long history in government, Wike questioned his sincerity.

“He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years. Why now?” the FCT Minister asked.

Wike went on to suggest that Amaechi’s comments were motivated by a desire to return to power rather than genuine concern for the people.

“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure,” Wike stated.

“How can you trivialise the issue of hunger? He joined Atiku and claimed hunger. It is clear he cannot stay out of power.

”He also took a jab at Amaechi’s political performance, referencing the 2019 elections.

“From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG,” Wike said.

Wike further praised himself as a political asset, aligning with President Bola Tinubu and dismissing suggestions of instability.

“I am not a liability; I am an asset. You may dislike me, but I am an asset in ensuring President Tinubu wins a second term,” he declared.

Commenting on Amaechi’s statement about “removing” those in power, Wike warned against what he described as inciting rhetoric.

“Let’s see how he plans to remove the president. Is it a military coup? The term ‘removal’ is synonymous with dictatorship or military coup.

“Nigerians remember what happened in 2015, and now he claims Nigerians are hungry,” he said.

Both Wike and Amaechi have had a storied rivalry, having served consecutively as governors of Rivers State.

While Amaechi was a two-term governor and later Minister of Transportation under Muhammadu Buhari, Wike served as Minister of State for Education and later became governor from 2015 to 2023 before joining the Tinubu administration.

The Federal High Court (FHC) Chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), today, locked out judges, lawyers, staff and litigants from accessing the court following the indefinite strike declared by its national body.

A check at the FHC headquarters located along Shehu Shagari Way in Abuja revealed that all the entrance gates into the high-rise building were under lock.

Judges, staff, lawyers, litigants and members of the public were denied access as business activities in and around the court were paralysed.

JUSUN national body had, on May 30 in a circular by its acting National Secretary, M.J Akwashiki, asked all its chapters’ chairmen to effective from midnight yesterday, Sunday, June 1, direct all their members to stay at home.

It said that, “This directive follows unfruitful meetings in the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment who was conciliating on our matter.

“We believe that as directed by the organs of the union, National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) of our great union, the action will continue until further notice.

“Our demands are for the government to pay us 5 months wage award, implement the %70.000 National Minimum Wage, as well as the 25/35 percent salary increase Solidarity for ever.

”Efforts to have a chat with some of the executive members of the union were unsuccessful as they were said to be on meeting.

Although there were reports that some chapters of the union had backed out from the industrial action, as at 9:48am, the Federal High Court gates were still under lock and keys.

NAN

ADDIS ABABA (June 2, 2025 :

In an address today in Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union, Gates Foundation Chair Bill Gates , announced that the majority of his $200 billion spending over the next 20 years will go to Africa with a focus on partnering with governments that prioritize the health and well-being of their people.

Gates therefore urged African leaders to seize the moment to accelerate progress in health and development through innovation and partnership, despite current headwinds.

“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years.

The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa.”

Addressing over 12,000 government officials, diplomats, health workers, development partners, and youth leaders in person and online, he underscored the critical role of African leadership and ingenuity in driving the continent’s health and economic future.

“By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity – and that path is an exciting thing to be part of,” Gates said.

Following his address, Gates joined Paulin Basinga, the foundation’s Africa director, in a fireside chat to discuss Africa’s development agenda and the investments and partnerships needed to drive future progress.

From Addis Ababa, Gates will travel to Nigeria, where he will meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and engage with federal and state leaders to discuss Nigeria’s primary health care reforms.

Calls for collaboration and shared responsibility were delivered by prominent African leaders, including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, and Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.

Renowned advocate for women and children, Mrs. Graça Machel, described the current situation as “a moment of crisis” and emphasized the importance of enduring partnerships in Africa’s development journey.

“Mr Gates’ long-standing partnership with Africa reflects a deep understanding of these challenges and a respect for African leadership, ideas and innovation,” she said.

“We are counting on Mr Gates’ steadfast commitment to continue walking this path of transformation alongside us.”

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that Africa’s health progress is a result of strong government leadership, resilient communities, and partnerships that deliver results.Gates called for prioritizing primary healthcare, emphasizing that “investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing.”

“With primary healthcare, what we’ve learned is that helping the mother be healthy and have great nutrition before she gets pregnant, while she is pregnant, delivers the strongest results. Ensuring the child receives good nutrition in their first four years as well makes all the difference.”

Gates highlighted how countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia are showing what’s possible when bold leadership harnesses innovation.

From expanding frontline health services and using data to cut child mortality to deploying advanced tools against malaria and HIV, and safeguarding primary healthcare despite fiscal strain—these country-led efforts are driving scalable, homegrown progress.

Reflecting on more than two decades of engagement on the continent, Gates said, “I’ve always been inspired by the hard work of Africans even in places with very limited resources.”

He added, “The kind of fieldwork to get solutions out, even in the most rural areas, has been incredible.”Gates spoke about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, noting its relevance for the continent’s future.

He praised Africa’s young innovators, saying he was “seeing young people in Africa embracing this, and thinking about how it applies to the problems that they want to solve.”

Drawing a parallel to the continent’s mobile banking revolution, he added, “Africa largely skipped traditional banking and now you have a chance, as you build your next generation healthcare systems, to think about how AI is built into that.”

He pointed to Rwanda as an early example of this promise, noting, “Rwanda is using AI to improve service delivery. E.g. AI-enabled ultrasound, to identify high-risk pregnancies earlier, helping women receive timely, potentially life-saving care.”

In Ethiopia and Nigeria this week, Gates will see first-hand the state of health and development priorities in the wake of foreign aid cuts, and he will affirm his and the foundation’s commitment to supporting Africa’s progress in health and development over the next 20 years.

“Our foundation has an increasing commitment to Africa,” Gates said. Our first African office was here in Ethiopia about 13 years ago. Now we have offices in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.

That’s a great way for us to strengthen partnerships.”While in Ethiopia, Gates met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and heard how Ethiopia is sustaining the momentum on critical reforms, expanding essential services, and remaining resilient amid shifting global aid dynamics.

Gates also took part in a roundtable with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on the country’s iodine-folic acid double-fortified salt initiative.

From Addis Ababa, Gates will travel to Nigeria, where he will meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and engage with federal and state leaders to discuss Nigeria’s primary health care reforms.

He will also participate in a Goalkeepers Nigeria event focused on Africa’s innovation future and meet with local scientists and partners shaping Nigeria’s national AI strategy and scaling up health solutions.

Gates’s trip follows the foundation’s historic announcement on May 8 that it would spend $200 billion over the next 20 years to advance progress on saving and improving lives and Gates’ commitment to giving away virtually all of his wealth to the foundation in that timeframe.

Over the next two decades, the foundation will work together with its partners to make as much progress as possible towards three primary goals: end preventable deaths of moms and babies; ensure the next generation grows up without having to suffer from deadly infectious diseases; and lift millions of people out of poverty, putting them on a path to prosperity.

At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations. Over the last two decades, the Gates Foundation has worked alongside African partners to save lives, develop vaccines, and strengthen systems.

It has helped catalyze more than 100 innovations and contributed to saving more than 80 million lives through Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.