The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has reacted strongly to a recent publication alleging the marginalisation of the South East in federal road projects, dismissing the report as both “false and misleading”.
In a statement issued by Mohammed Ahmed, Director of Press and Public Relations at the ministry, Umahi described the publication, titled “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South East Missing from the Map?”, as a calculated attempt to misinform the public.
According to Umahi, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has taken decisive steps to address infrastructural disparities across all regions, including the South East. “President Bola Tinubu has been fair to all regions of the country, including the South East,” he said.
He added that the federal government has revived approximately 90 per cent of abandoned road projects, some of which date as far back as 2013. These projects, he emphasized, are being executed without favoritism.
Umahi further stated that four major Legacy Projects have been commissioned, each designed to cut across the six geo-political zones. One of these projects, which traverses Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and ends in Abuja, includes a 231.64-kilometre stretch within the South East. The contract has already been awarded at a value of N445.8 billion.
The minister pointed out that during the last Federal Executive Council meeting, the same project’s corridor length was reaffirmed at 231.64 km with no alteration to the approved contract sum.
He accused a certain Anagboso of deliberately misrepresenting the project as an Oyo-Benue route to deceive the public.
Highlighting further developments, Umahi listed other projects in the South East, including the Second Niger Bridge Access Roads—Section 2A in Delta State valued at N146 billion, and Section 2B in Anambra State worth N176 billion.
He also mentioned the Enugu-Onitsha Road (208 km), which is partially funded by MTN through tax credit to the tune of N202 billion, with CBC managing the remaining sections at a cost of N150 billion.
Other ongoing works, according to him, include roads like Enugu–Port Harcourt, Enugu–Abakaliki, Afikpo–Abia–Imo, Onitsha–Owerri–Aba, Aba–Ikot Ekpene, and Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene.
Calling on the people of the South East to stand behind President Tinubu’s administration, Umahi said, “One day, the South East will produce the President of Nigeria, but not in 2027.”
He urged citizens to support their governors and reaffirmed his commitment to addressing misinformation.
okay.ng reports that Umahi praised the South East governors for their cooperation with the federal government and emphasized that continued regional collaboration was essential for sustained development.
