By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has called on the people of the South-East to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027, citing the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments and other interventions in the region.
Umahi made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the report of the North-West leg of the Nationwide Federal Roads Project Tour conducted by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The minister said leaders and stakeholders from the South-East had a responsibility to educate the people on what he described as the benefits accruing to the region from the Tinubu administration.
According to him, the decision by the South-East to support the President should be viewed as a strategic political choice aimed at strengthening the region’s relationship with other parts of the country.
“It is a strategic decision that we Igbos must make. And I commend the South-East governors and the governor of Anambra State for his bold decision.
“He is not afraid of telling our people the truth; the truth is that we must support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Umahi said.
The minister urged the people of the region to compare the infrastructure projects and other federal interventions being implemented under the present administration with what successive administrations had provided to the South-East.
He argued that the issue of marginalisation should not be assessed solely from the perspective of political appointments, but should also take into account infrastructure development and other government programmes.
Umahi maintained that the Tinubu administration had, in his assessment, addressed some of the concerns previously raised by people of the South-East regarding their inclusion in the Federal Government’s development agenda.
“I call for debate. If you are insulting me, insult me constructively. Do not just empty talk,” he said.
The minister also referenced his experience as former governor of Ebonyi State, asking what he had been able to accomplish in the state and the wider region through the support of President Tinubu.
“When I was governor of Ebonyi State for eight years, and now as Minister of Works, what have I done through the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?” he asked.
Umahi further appealed to South-East stakeholders to consider supporting the President as part of a broader strategy of political reciprocity, arguing that other regions could support the South-East when it becomes the region’s turn to seek the presidency.
The minister’s remarks followed the presentation of the report of NANS’ inspection of Federal Government road projects in the North-West.
The students embarked on the nationwide tour to physically assess ongoing and completed federal road projects and determine their impact on Nigerians, particularly students.
The North-West leg covered Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Sokoto states, with the delegation inspecting several major road projects.
Among the projects visited were the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Kano Northern Bypass, Kano-Maiduguri Road, Kano-Katsina Road, Kaduna-Kano Road, Kano-Kongolam Road, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road and Zaria-Funtua-Sokoto Road.
Others included the Kaduna-Pambegua-Jos Road, Wusasa-Jos Road, Mando-Birnin Gwari Road, Sokoto-Badagry Road and Illela-Dukamaje Road.
Umahi commended the students for insisting on independently assessing the projects.
He said the students had requested access to project sites across the six geopolitical zones and rejected logistics support offered by the Ministry of Works, insisting instead on unhindered access to the sites.
The minister described the initiative as responsible leadership, saying it would enable young Nigerians to obtain first-hand information about the progress of federal infrastructure projects.
He also welcomed the involvement of civil society organisations in monitoring the projects, stressing that independent oversight would contribute to transparency and accountability in project implementation.
Umahi disclosed that the Federal Government had expanded four major legacy road projects from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,150 kilometres following a directive from President Tinubu.
He cited the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry corridor and the 135-kilometre Akwanga-Jos Road as examples of major projects being undertaken by the administration.
He also listed the 156-kilometre Gombe-Bauchi Road, the 149-kilometre Bauchi-Jos Road, the new approximately 400-kilometre Ogoja-Calabar connection and the Biu-Maiduguri corridor among major federal road projects.
According to him, the Bauchi-Gombe Road has been fully rehabilitated, while sections of roads in Bauchi and Jigawa states that had been cut off are being reconstructed with box culverts, rigid concrete pavement and asphalt surfacing.
The minister explained that the Federal Government is contributing 30 per cent of the funding for the legacy projects, while the remaining 70 per cent is being financed through foreign loans.
He said the financing arrangement was predicated on tolling the roads after completion, with revenue generated from the corridors expected to contribute to the recovery and repayment of the loans.
Umahi also defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against criticisms surrounding the project, explaining that a substantial portion of the route passes through the Niger Delta.
According to him, the highway will traverse Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
He described the project as significant not only to the states along the route but also to the wider national economy.
The minister explained that only about 30 per cent of the legacy road programme involved entirely new construction, with much of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway following existing road alignments that were being expanded.
“In most cases, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is also passing through an existing road, and we expanded it,” he said.
Umahi’s latest appeal comes amid an increasingly active political debate over the 2027 presidential election and the South-East’s political direction.
The minister has previously made similar appeals for support for Tinubu, linking his position to federal infrastructure projects, political appointments and what he describes as greater inclusion of the South-East in the administration.
His position, however, remains a political argument rather than an indication of a consensus across the South-East, where political parties and groups have expressed differing views on the 2027 presidential contest. For example, opposition figures have previously criticised Umahi’s appeals and questioned his authority to speak on behalf of the entire region.
The minister nevertheless maintained that the South-East should critically assess the administration’s infrastructure record and make what he described as a strategic political decision based on the region’s long-term interests.
