Umahi to Nigerians: Acknowledge Tinubu’s infrastructure projects

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has urged Nigerians, particularly people of the Southeast, to acknowledge and appreciate infrastructure projects being executed by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu across the country.

Umahi made the call at the 10th anniversary celebration of De Pinnacle Club International, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, where he was honoured with an Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation.

The event, organised under the leadership of Chief Sir David Nwosu, attracted prominent Nigerians from the political, business and professional sectors, particularly from the Southeast.

The minister said political considerations should not prevent Nigerians from recognising infrastructure projects that, according to him, were addressing longstanding challenges across different parts of the country.

“We shouldn’t live in denial. We have to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; even God Almighty appreciates gratitude. It doesn’t stop us from asking for more,” Umahi said.

He cited several ongoing and completed projects in the Southeast, including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Eke-Obinagu Flyover, New Artisan Bridge, Second Niger Bridge access roads, Enugu-Abakaliki road and the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway.

According to him, the projects formed part of a broader federal infrastructure programme covering the six geopolitical zones.

Umahi particularly highlighted the Second Niger Bridge, noting that although the bridge was completed before the Tinubu administration, poor access roads limited its full economic benefits.

“We had the Second Niger Bridge fully completed before President Tinubu came into office, but the means of fully utilising the bridge, which is the access roads, was bad. So we are now building the access roads,” he said.

He disclosed that the Anambra section of the access road had reached about 40 per cent completion, while the Asaba axis was about 35 per cent completed.

The minister also stressed the importance of the Lagos-Shagamu road as a major transportation link connecting the Southwest to other parts of the country.

Umahi further pointed to the appointment of Southeasterners to strategic positions as evidence of what he described as greater inclusion in the Tinubu administration.

“We have never had it like this with other administrations. Today, Ndi-Igbo have a Chief of Air Force, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs and the first Minister of Works,” he stated.

He also disclosed that his ministry had intervened to protect the First Niger Bridge following reports of vandalism by scrap scavengers.

“I saw through social media that the First Niger Bridge was being destroyed by scrap sellers, the nuts and expansion metal. We took action and the project is hitting its milestones,” Umahi said.

He added that plans were underway to equip the bridge with CCTV cameras and control points similar to the monitoring arrangement on Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge to curb vandalism and improve safety.

The minister commended De Pinnacle Club International for its contributions to youth empowerment, healthcare and community development across the Southeast.

“I have seen some of the things you do, helping young men and women from the Southeast establish themselves, building hospitals, and that is what humanity is all about,” he said.

The anniversary, themed **“A Decade of Excellence, Legacy and Impact,”** was attended by prominent personalities, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, and business figures such as Obi Cubana, Chief Sir Kenneth Ifekudu, Ambassador Elijah Onyeagba and Chief Dr Ifeanyi Okorie.

In his acceptance speech, Umahi said development should not be left solely to government, commending the club for supporting communities through infrastructure, scholarships and empowerment programmes.

“True development cannot be left to the government alone. When clubs like De Pinnacle step in to build roads, award scholarships, and empower families with hundreds of millions of naira in seed capital, you are directly reinforcing the foundations of our national economy. You are demonstrating the true spirit of patriotism,” he said.

Umahi dedicated the award to President Tinubu, as well as engineers, contractors and other professionals involved in the country’s infrastructure development.