The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has dismissed reports of serious divisions within the All Progressives Congress, particularly speculation surrounding his relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Umahi, who spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, described Wike as a progressive and said both ministers remained members of the same political family despite their perceived differences.
“We need Wike as Wike needs us. So, it’s one family,” Umahi said, adding that the differences between them had been exaggerated by their political opponents.
The minister also urged Nigerians to move beyond regional politics and embrace a political system that promotes mutual support and development across the country.
Speaking on infrastructure development in the South-East, Umahi said the President Bola Tinubu administration had demonstrated greater commitment to the region than previous governments.
The former governor of Ebonyi State said previous administrations failed to provide significant Federal Government projects in the South-East during his time as a party chairman, deputy governor and governor.
“I was a party chairman. I was a deputy governor. I was governor. And no single project of the Federal Government came to South-East,” he said.
Umahi, however, said the situation had changed under Tinubu, with the region now benefiting from several Federal Government infrastructure projects.
“Today, we are having a barrage of projects. We may not be the first, second or third in terms of the volume of projects in the regions, but we are not the last,” he said.
He said the development showed that the South-East was increasingly being integrated into the Federal Government’s broader infrastructure development agenda.
Umahi disclosed that Tinubu had approved two major projects in the region in recent days, including the Obanewi-Okiwe axis linking parts of Imo State and a road connecting Otuocha in Anambra State to Ibaji in Kogi State.
He also cited the Second Niger Bridge and its associated bypass projects as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to improving transportation infrastructure in the South-East.
The minister urged people of the region to reciprocate the Federal Government’s infrastructure interventions by embracing greater political cooperation with other parts of the country.
“This is the right time. Let us have a handshake across the Niger, so that when our time comes, we will also be supported,” he said.
Umahi said he remained committed to national rather than sectional political interests.
On infrastructure development nationwide, the minister disclosed that the Ministry of Works inherited 2,068 ongoing projects valued at about N13tn.
He said the Federal Government was working to address the country’s infrastructure deficit through the completion of existing projects and the execution of new ones.
Umahi also argued that borrowing for infrastructure should be regarded as an investment when the projects had the capacity to generate returns and contribute to economic growth.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister defended the procurement process, saying the law recognised open competitive tendering, selective tendering and special procurement as valid methods.
He explained that the first phase of the coastal highway was executed through special procurement because of the project’s complex terrain and the need to engage a contractor with specialised experience in coastal engineering.
According to Umahi, the procurement process received the approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Federal Executive Council.
He further said the external financing component of the project had attracted interest from international financiers, with offers exceeding the required funding by more than $100m.
Umahi also defended the ministry’s adoption of concrete pavement on major highways, arguing that it would provide greater durability and could last for decades, potentially up to 100 years, when properly designed and maintained.
On the Asaba-Benin Road, the minister said the Federal Government had launched “Operation Rescue” following challenges associated with the road’s concession.
He said the government had intervened in seven sections of the road to restore movement, while plans were underway to redesign and reconstruct the route with concrete pavement.
Giving an update on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, Umahi said the first 119-kilometre section had been completed.
He added that the second section, covering 164 kilometres, was expected to be completed by November 15.
The minister said the various infrastructure projects across the country demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to addressing the nation’s infrastructure deficit and improving connectivity between communities and regions.
“There is no part of this country, there is no state that is not a construction site under President Bola Tinubu,” Umahi said.
