By Chioma Onuegbu

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has advised Journalists in the country to hold every politician and elite accountablefor the problems of the country.

Amaechi spoke yesterday at the State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Awa Ibom State Council, as a Special guest of honour at the 2022 World Press Freedom Day.

He stressed that the poor masses were not the problem of Nigeria but politicians and the elites including journalists themselves.

He urged journalists to be accurate and objective in their reportage even as he noted that mischievous news items published on the social media by unprofessionals journalists do not worry him.

He stressed: “What worries me is the survival of the country. It worries me to the extent that I begin to wonder whether we know actually what the problem is. The problem of the country is not the poor man in Akwa Ibom, it is not the poor man in Rivers State.

“It is not the poor man in Southeast; neither is it the poor man in the North.The problem is the politicians, the elites including you.And I hope you know we are broke. When I was saying it then as Chairman of governor’s forum, they were begging me not to say it, that it will affect the economy.

“So whether I said it that time or now, the reality is before us. We are broke. And I ask the question, when we had 68billion dollars that Obasanjo handed over, what happened to the money?.

” Why haven’t you asked that question? Every problem is Buhari. Until you begin to hold every politician, every elite accountable, this country won’t move forward”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ini Ememobong, who thanked the Minister for finding time to honour the invitation, explained the World freedom day calls to mind that the society owe journalists care.

“It is a day we are called to mind that these are people who take a lot of risks to expose the ills in the society and to help in enthroning democracy. On such a day as this, we don’t just show sympathy to Journalists, we put ourselves in their shoes”, Ememobong said.