The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has dismissed claims by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed the South-East, insisting that the region was witnessing unprecedented inclusion, security attention and infrastructure development under the current administration.
Umahi stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said although Abaribe spoke “as an opposition politician” and claimed nothing was personal, he was compelled to respond on behalf of the Federal Government to what he described as misleading assertions.
The Minister informed that all governors of the South-East support the President because of what he termed inclusive governance, stressing that increased financial releases to states have strengthened sub-national performance.
He further raised concerns about vandalism of government structures, roadside trading and heavy trucks damaging federal highways and bridges, while calling for the cooperation of citizens in guarding them.
Umahi said he would engage the Inspector-General of Police to reactivate highway patrol units nationwide to protect ongoing projects, adding that contractors would assist with logistics.
Calling for national unity, the minister urged South-East leaders and residents to speak out against misinformation, stressing that while no region is without challenges, the current administration has taken deliberate steps to include the South-East in national development.
The Minister listed several Federal road and bridge projects in the South-East, including the 123.5-kilometre Section One of the Transahara Road linking Ebonyi to Abuja, the Second Niger Bridge bypass, Enugu–Abakaliki dual carriageway, Enugu–Onitsha Road, Enugu–Port Harcourt Road, the Atani Bridge reconstruction and multiple flyover projects in Enugu State.
“Every success recorded by governors today, particularly in the South-East, is tied to the courage of Mr President to release more funds to the states,” Umahi said, adding that governors themselves had acknowledged that sub-national governments were part of the national system headed by the President.
On allegations of exclusion, Umahi said the South-East suffered neglect in previous administrations but Tinubu corrected what he called years of marginalisation through strategic appointments and policies. He noted that the region received key security appointments and, most recently, approval for the establishment of an army training depot in Ebonyi State to address insecurity.
He also said the Aba Geometric Power Plant became fully operational under President Tinubu after longstanding bottlenecks were removed, describing the development as a major boost to industrial and commercial activities in the region.
Umahi took strong exception to Abaribe’s comments on the procurement of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, describing them as an attack on his integrity. He maintained that the project followed all provisions of the Public Procurement Act, including Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), public advertisement, stakeholder engagement and international evaluation.
According to him, foreign financiers, including the Dutch Development Bank assessed the project and confirmed it was properly packaged, of high quality and undervalued, leading to an oversubscription of about $100 million. “International funders are thorough. They would not touch a project where due process was breached”, he said.
He also reeled out a catalogue of ongoing and completed federal road projects in the South-East, while warning that indiscriminate roadside trading, illegal parking of heavy trucks and vandalism of bridges were threatening the lifespan of Nigeria’s highways.
He said some of the projects were being executed through tax credit arrangements, while others received substantial upfront payments, countering claims that the President has done little for the region.
According to Umahi, South-East governors are “happy and grateful” for the interventions and expressed confidence that the region would support Tinubu politically. He dismissed claims that the President would not be re-elected in 2027, saying such views reflected personal opinions rather than the mood of the region.
Beyond politics, the minister outlined reforms within the Ministry of Works aimed at improving project delivery, including daily digital supervision platforms involving directors, controllers and permanent secretaries, the deployment of over 80 independent media supervisors, and the launch of the Development-to-Home Mentorship Programme to train engineers, artisans and operators on major projects.
He also raised concerns about vandalism, roadside trading and heavy trucks damaging federal highways and bridges, warning that infrastructure could fail without citizen cooperation. Umahi said he would engage the Inspector-General of Police to reactivate highway patrol units nationwide to protect ongoing projects, adding that contractors would assist with logistics.
Calling for national unity, the minister urged South-East leaders and residents to speak out against misinformation, stressing that while no region is without challenges, the current administration has taken deliberate steps to include the South-East in national development.
“We may not be the first, but we are no longer last,” Umahi said, adding that respect for the rule of law, cultural tolerance and sustained dialogue were essential in building a united Nigeria.
The Minister pleaded with contractors who abandoned their project for paucity of funds to return to site, while assuring them that if the President could continue with inherited projects he did not initiate, he would definitely pay them.
