South-East regaining deserved place in Nigeria Under Tinubu – Umahi

DAVID Umahi, the Minister of Works, has said that the South-East is now regaining its rightful place in national development under the Administration of President Bola Tinubu, citing massive federal infrastructure projects across the region.

Umahi made the remarks at the weekend while inspecting ongoing Federal Government road and bridge projects in some parts of South-East, including Ebonyi State, many of which link the State with Neighbouring States and other parts of the Country.

According to the minister, the projects demonstrate the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening economic integration and improving connectivity across the South East and adjoining regions.

Among the projects inspected were the Onueke section of the 465-kilometre Trans-Sahara Super Highway, where a 25-span bridge measuring about 700 metres is under construction, the Onueke–Afikpo Highway, Afikpo–Ndibe Beach Road, the Ebonyi–Cross River Beach Bridge, and the Uturu–Okigwe Highway.

Umahi said the scale of development in the Region reflects a deliberate effort by the Bola Tinubu’s Administration to address longstanding concerns about marginalisation while ensuring that the South-East benefits fully from federal infrastructure investments.

He urged the people of the Region to acknowledge and publicise the projects, especially on social media, so that those outside the area would understand the level of federal attention now being given to the zone.

According to him, the era of bitterness and divisive rhetoric should give way to constructive engagement and appreciation, which he believes would encourage even greater federal support for the region.

The former governor of also pledged to play a prominent role in the president’s re-election campaign next year, saying his nationwide supervision of projects has given him firsthand knowledge of the Administration’s achievements.

He assured that political activities would not slow down ongoing projects, noting that he would continue supervising construction works even while participating in campaign activities.

Umahi also commended the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, for supporting federal road projects in the State by paying compensation to affected property owners, a move, he said, helped contractors commence work without delay.

According to the minister, the governor also funded compensation for the ongoing dualisation of the Enugu–Abakaliki Expressway, describing the intervention as critical to the smooth execution of the project.