The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has hit back at Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe over recent comments regarding President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 electoral victory and his prospects for 2027. Umahi, who addressed journalists on Wednesday to review his ministry’s 2025 achievements, dismissed the Senator’s claims as baseless, asserting that the current administration has already outperformed its predecessors in delivering critical infrastructure across the country.
Senator Abaribe, representing Abia South, had earlier alleged during a televised interview that the President did not secure a genuine mandate and predicted a defeat for him in 2027. He further claimed that the South East had been marginalized under the current leadership. However, Umahi countered this narrative, pointing out that the President has shown a visible and unprecedented commitment to the region through several high-impact projects.
The Minister specifically defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, which has faced scrutiny from critics. Umahi challenged Abaribe to study the Procurement Act, insisting that the project followed every statutory requirement, including the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). He noted that the project was so well-packaged that it was oversubscribed by international financiers by over $100 million. Currently, section one of the coastal road is 85 percent complete and is expected to open to traffic shortly.
Beyond the coastal road, Umahi highlighted a “renewed federal presence” in the South East, citing the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt road, and the Second Niger Bridge bypass as proof of inclusion. He argued that the level of development and the recent approval of an army training depot in Ebonyi State have removed any justification for separatist agitations. In his view, the increased federal funding to state governors has been the real engine behind the performance seen at the state level in places like Abia.
Echoing these sentiments, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, described the President’s approach as “uncommon love” for Nigeria. He pointed to over 1,600 ongoing projects nationwide, including the long-abandoned Sokoto-Badagry corridor, which had been stalled for forty years. Goronyo noted that many of these new roads are being built with concrete pavements designed to last up to a century.
While the government continues its aggressive infrastructure drive, the ministers expressed concern over the misuse of these assets. Goronyo lamented the damage caused by illegal trading and the indiscriminate parking of heavy trucks on bridges. He called on citizens to take ownership of these projects and urged the police to reactivate the Safer Highway Patrol to protect federal roads from vandalism. As far as the ministry is concerned, the sheer scale of work on the ground is a true reflection of a president determined to unite and develop the nation.
