By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Minister of Works Senator Dave Umahi says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government has performed well in terms of infrastructure development in Southeastern Nigeria.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Umahi averred that the president has remained focused in delivering impactful projects in the zone despite that the people did not give him enough vote in the last presidential election.
The minister’s comment is coming after recent claims of neglect of the zone in terms of infrastructure development by the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Umahi who highlighted several federal road and bridge projects in the Southeast as 123.5-kilometres 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, among others noted that even the governors themselves have acknowledged that sub-national governments were part of the national system headed by the president and that he has been supportive of their projects.
“It is not correct to say the president has done nothing for the Southast. 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,” the Minister said.
Continuing, he said; “Let me use the opportunity to talk about what a Senator from my zone has said, talking about the president, and he mentioned me, and that’s Senator Abaribe. Incidentally, he’s my in-law, and I sent him a text that I’m going to reply to him and he said to me that he spoke as an opposition, and nothing personal.
“I’m also going to speak on behalf of the government as far as the issues he raised are concerned, and there will be nothing personal about it.
“First and foremost, I boasted and I still boast that all the Southeast governors are supporting the president, because the President has provided inclusive governance in the country.
“He, Senator Abaribe, said that there is no support, that what has the president done for them, Southeast, that they will support him.
“I want to tell you what the president has done for the governors of Southeast and also for the zone. In the first place, the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, is my cousin, who is actually doing very well.
“I attended an occasion with Governor Otti and also Senator Abaribe, and he praised Gov Otti very highly for his performances. And of course, I agree totally with him and other people. They love and support the governor because of his capacity and serious shift in terms of dividends of democracy, judging from the past administrations.
“So let me tell Senator Abaribe that the performance of Governor Otti is a product of President Bola Tinubu. If he, Mr President, didn’t have the audacity and courage to release more money to the governors, gov Otti would not be doing what he’s doing.
“Senator Abaribe needs to know that the Enugu Port Harcourt has been ongoing, and a journey of two and a half hours would take seven hours. Before the president came on board, you wouldn’t travel between Aba and Port Harcourt. Today, one full carriageway is fully completed, and you can engage one carriageway from Enugu, straight to Port Harcourt. And the governors of Southeast are very happy.
“They are very grateful to the president, and I can boldly say that the president has done very well for Southeast people.”
The Minister also listed completed and ongoing projects such as the reconstruction and commissioning of the Atani Bridge in Enugu State, the Emene flyover, and improved travel times on major federal highways across the region.
He attributed the neglect in road infrastructure in the South East to previous administrations, maintaining that the current one of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu has actually succeeded in correcting years of neglect and so should be applauded.
Umahi stressed that every procurement on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway followed all provisions of the Public Procurement Act, including Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), public advertisement, stakeholder engagement as well as international evaluation.
For instance, the minister said that foreign financiers, including the Dutch Development Bank assessed the project and confirmed it was well packaged in terms of high quality, which resulted in an oversubscription of about $100 million.
“International funders are thorough. They would not touch a project where due process was breached.”
The minister lamented that despite these efforts of the President, vandalism of road infrastructure is on increase, just as roadside trading and heavy duty trucks are constituting nuisance on the road.
He therefore urged the people to own these projects and work with the government to succeed.
Already, the minister revealed that he would engage the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, to bring back highway patrol units across the country to protect completed and ongoing projects.
The minister urged Southeast leaders and residents to support the current administration to continue with the good work.
He also urged contractors who abandoned their project due to fund challenge to back to site, assuring them that they would be paid.