The Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi, has urged the people of south-east to support President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid, citing the Federal Government’s infrastructure interventions in the zone
Umahi made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday while receiving the report of the northwest leg of the Nationwide Federal Roads Project Tour conducted by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
He said that leaders from the south-east should be bold and vocal in educating their people on what he described as the benefits of supporting the Tinubu administration
“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,” he said
The minister said the South-East should compare what the region benefited from with the infrastructure and other interventions being undertaken by the Tinubu administration
He argued that marginalisation should be considered from the point of the appointments, adding that infrastructure should also be considered
According to him, the Tinubu administration has broken the jinx in areas where the south-east had previously complained of marginalisation
“I call for debate If you are insulting me, insult me constructively. Do not just empty talk.
“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
The minister also urged Southeast stakeholders to support Tinubu so that other regions would reciprocate when it became the zone’s turn to produce the president of the country
Umahi commended students who requested access to Federal Ministry of Works project sites across the six geopolitical zones to independently inspect ongoing projects
He said the students rejected logistics assistance offered by the ministry, insisting on unhindered access to the projects
Umahi described the initiative as responsible leadership, saying the students had chosen to acquaint themselves with the projects rather than dwell on issues that would not add value to their future
He also welcomed civil society organisations that had indicated interest in monitoring the projects
Umahi said the federal government had expanded its four legacy road projects from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,150 kilometres following a directive by the President
He cited the Sokoto-Badagry corridor, which he put at 1,068 kilometres, and the Akwanga-Jos road, which he said was 135 kilometres and currently under construction, as case studies
“Only about 30 per cent of it is constructed as new projects, mostly the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
“In most cases, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is also passing through an existing road, and we expanded it,” he said
Umahi listed other projects, including the 156km Gombe-Bauchi road, the 149km Bauchi-Jos road, the new Ogoja-Calabar connection of about 400 kilometres and the Biu-Maiduguri corridor
He said the Bauchi-Gombe road had been fully rehabilitated, while sections of roads in Bauchi and Jigawa states that had been cut off were being reconstructed using box culverts, rigid concrete pavement and asphalt surfacing
The minister disclosed that the federal government was contributing 30 per cent of the funding for the legacy projects, while the remaining 70 per cent was being financed through foreign loans
He explained that the loans were predicated on tolling the roads on completion and using proceeds from the corridors to recover and repay the funds
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi defended the project against criticisms, saying a substantial portion of the corridor was located within the Niger Delta
He said the highway would pass through Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, describing the project as important to the region and the national economy (NAN)