APC will compensate civil war victims in Rivers – Amaechi

Former Minister of Transportation and former leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has apologized to the Igbo community for the loss of their properties in the state following the 1967‑1970 civil war. He pledged that any property lost—including houses—will be returned in due course. Amaechi noted that Igbo owners who left properties in Lagos and the North have already had them restored, and argued that those in Port Harcourt should not be treated differently.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting that included APC governorship candidate Tonye Cole and representatives of the Igbo community, Amaechi said, “I am sorry for the issue of abandoned properties. I apologized when I became governor, and I am still apologizing. We are sorry.” He explained that, after the war, Igbo returnees in the North were given back their properties, whereas in Rivers State their homes were seized and labeled abandoned.

Amaechi highlighted three initiatives he undertook as governor: abolishing the disparity in school fees between indigenes and non‑indigenes; instituting a scholarship open to all residents of Rivers State regardless of origin; and employing 13,200 teachers, 3,000 of whom were Igbo. He added that his successor cancelled the scholarship, claiming it primarily benefited Igbo people.

He urged the Igbo community to vote en masse for the APC candidate in the upcoming governorship election, urging those who lost property through violence to submit their names and phone numbers so the government can restore what was taken.

In his address, APC candidate Tonye Cole pledged to protect the interests and businesses of Igbo people in Rivers State if elected. “The future of Rivers State and Nigeria is at stake. Democracy is about giving people the right to choose their leaders. I am one of you; Igbo blood runs in me. My mother is Igbo, my wife is Igbo; you have nothing to fear,” he said. Earlier, the Igbo community in Rivers State donated N20 million to the APC governorship campaign, and community leader Chief Callistus Nwachukwu assured Cole of the Ndigbo’s support.