Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that he joined politics because of unemployment.
In an interview with The Punch published on Sunday, Amaechi said he joined politics at the University of Port Harcourt where he studied English Studies and Literature.
“My father was a politician. He ran for councillorship during his time. However, I didn’t join politics because I wanted to be a leader or because I wanted to solve Nigeria’s problems. I joined because of unemployment. I also believe there is a part that grace played in it,” he said.
“I actually got auditioned at the Nigeria Television Authority to be a broadcaster. I recall that I walked into their office then and said I wanted to see a certain person. But the person I met asked me if I had been auditioned because I had a wonderful voice. I told him I hadn’t and he asked for me to be auditioned.
“However, before the employment letter came, I was already into politics. That saved me. I would have been a broadcaster by now.”
The minister, who was once a governor of Rivers and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, also said his father wanted him to study law and that he named him ‘Rotimi’ after the famous lawyer, Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams.
Amaechi suggested he might not support his first child who seems to be interested in politics.
“Nigerian politics is not something one would want one’s child to go into because there are no rules. One can be easily destroyed. One must have the grace to survive. I don’t know if he has that grace (and I’m not talking about tact or sagacity) to survive because it is a man-eat-man world,” he said.
