Support Tinubu Or Risk Losing Federal Project – David Umahi Warns South-East

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged the South-East to overwhelmingly support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, warning that failure to do so could jeopardize the continuation of major federal infrastructure projects across the region.

Umahi spoke, Wednesday, May 20, during an inspection tour of ongoing federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State.

The minister described the projects as unprecedented in the history of the South-East, insisting that no previous administration had invested so heavily in the region’s infrastructure. Among the projects inspected was the ongoing Calabar-Ebonyi–Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway, which Umahi identified as one of the administration’s legacy projects.

According to him, the stretch from Ndibe Beach in Ebonyi State to the Ebonyi-Benue boundary covers about 123 kilometres and is being constructed with reinforced concrete pavement and solar-powered streetlights at an estimated cost of N454 billion.

He disclosed that the Federal Government had already released 50 percent funding for the project, while approvals were being processed for the dualisation of critical sections of the route. The minister further explained that section two of the corridor, stretching about 178 kilometres from the Ebonyi–Benue boundary through Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa states to Oweto Bridge, carries a contract value of N685 billion.

While acknowledging funding challenges facing contractors, Umahi maintained that the Federal Government remained committed to meeting its obligations.

“The President has assured us that all contractors owed will be paid. Today, there is hardly any state in Nigeria without a construction site under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said. Umahi said communities benefitting from federal projects should reciprocate by supporting Tinubu in the next election. “Last time, Afikpo people did not vote for APC. If they want this bridge completed, I will require 100 per cent of the votes. I am not asking for 99 per cent,” he declared.