Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration for making it difficult for his family to afford medicines for his late mother.
Amaechi, who is the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, aired on Friday.
According to him, the rising cost of drugs under the Tinubu administration affected his family’s ability to care for his mother before her death.
“Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” he said.
Amaechi said his mother had been healthy before Tinubu assumed office but later became difficult to treat because of the rising cost of medication.
“You want me to mention my friends who are 90 or 92 years old? Why do you think my mother couldn’t live up to 92? Tinubu was the reason. Before Tinubu, my mother was healthy.
“Before Tinubu, my mother was healthy. Suddenly, by the time Tinubu came, it was difficult to buy drugs for my mother. I know most of you won’t believe this.”
The former minister said the situation was not limited to his family, arguing that many Nigerians were facing difficulties accessing healthcare because of economic pressures.
He also referred to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics while discussing the country’s dependence on imported medicines.
“But the point I’m making is that there are so many persons whose parents have died who themselves are about to die, because by Tinubu’s removal, the NBS said last quarter, we spent N200 billion importing drugs. Forty percent of finished goods are imported.”
Amaechi has previously criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
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The former minister also spoke about his expectations from an ADC administration during an interview on AIT on Wednesday, saying he would leave office if Nigerians did not begin to experience noticeable changes within one year.
“If Nigeria does not begin to change, one year after we have come to office, come to me, I will resign,” he had said.
Asked whether he meant that Nigeria must completely change within a year, Amaechi clarified:
“One year after? Yes, if Nigeria does not begin to change. I didn’t say Nigeria must change or that everything must change. But even if you feel the change, you have a breath of fresh air.”