Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi has alleged that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration contributed to the death of his mother.
Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme aired on Friday, October 2, 2026.
He linked the rising cost of medicines and broader economic hardship under the current administration to difficulties his family faced in providing healthcare for his late mother, Mary Amaechi (also referred to as Dame Ezinne Amaechi), who died on July 16, 2026, at the age of 89.
“Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” Amaechi said. “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.”
He continued: “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.
“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.”
In other reported versions of the exchange, Amaechi stated more directly: “The policies Tinubu introduced are killing people. I lost my mother because of the policies. We have lost people. President Tinubu’s policies killed my mother.” He added that he did the best he could to care for her amid the challenges.
Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor, has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy shortly after Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023 and changes to the foreign exchange system. He argued that these measures, intended to improve living conditions, have instead intensified cost-of-living pressures, including on essential medicines that many Nigerians rely on imports for.
The former minister framed his personal experience as reflective of a wider national problem, saying many families are struggling to afford healthcare and medication.
One outlet characterised parts of the exchange as joking in tone after the presenter directly asked whether Tinubu’s policies killed his mother, with Amaechi responding that she had been healthy beforehand and later clarifying aspects of the remark. However, the bulk of reporting across Nigerian media presented the comments as a serious allegation tying economic hardship under the current government to reduced access to drugs and related deaths.
President Tinubu had earlier sent condolences following Mary Amaechi’s death in July, describing her as a woman of deep faith whose life was marked by love, sacrifice and selfless service.
Amaechi is the running mate to ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election. He has intensified criticism of the federal government’s economic record in recent public appearances as political activities gain momentum.
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