FG To Give Southeast Roads Attention, Says Umahi

Minister of Works and former governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Dave Umahi has assured that federal roads in the southeast will receive the attention of the federal government under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Umahi who stated this while on a one-day tour of federal government projects in the state also disclosed that the federal government through the federal Ministry of Works was exploring available options to use rigid pavement technology to complete some of the ongoing road projects because of the high vehicular traffic on them.

Umahi, who also visited Imo State commended the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma for bringing visible developments for the period he has been in office, noting that Uzodinma’s handiwork is showing everywhere in the state.

The minister, while in Abia disclosed that the government was considering using cement rigid pavement technology to complete some roads including the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Expressway, Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway, Aba-Owerri Expressway and among others.

The Minister stated that the government was willing to partner other stakeholders on a Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement; through what he described as Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), to fix other roads that were yet to be given attention to by the federal government, disclosed that it would be difficult to fix southeast roads with budgetary allocation and added that he would be meeting with members of the National Assembly to see how they could help in addressing the situation.

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On some of the road projects that were abandoned by various contractors, the Works Minister disclosed that he would be meeting with the ministry’s legal department to decide on what their next line of action would be. This is even as he expressed delight in the job being done by some of the contractors that he met on site on the 12 federal government project sites in Abia State.

Umahi, while listing some of the progress made on federal government roads in the state said Section One of the Port Harcourt-Enugu Express Road, which runs from Lokpanta to Abia Tower in Umuahia, which is hundred percent completed with a Trailer Park; Section Two of the road runs from Umuahia Tower to Aba; Rehabilitation of Umuahia-Ikwuano to Ikot Ekpene-Umudike Road with a length of 49.2 kilometers; Section of Nkporo-Abiriba-Ohafia Road, awarded in 2012, that has been abandoned; Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia section one, awarded in 2018; Aba-Owerri Road, awarded in 2020 and others.

The minister solicited the support of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti to sort out the issues affecting the building of a trailer park at Arungwa Aba, saying that the State government should acquire the place and partner the Federal Government to develop it with the private sector.

Otti thanked the Minister for visiting Abia and expressed his government’s readiness to partner with the Federal Government to fix the Federal Roads in the State.

The Minister while in Imo to inspect ongoing Federal Government projects said he was marvelled at the quality of roads, most of them federal government roads, which Uzodinma had initiated and completed in Imo State within a short period of time.

Umahi noted that the Owerri to Okigwe road happens to be one of the best roads in all the roads he has visited as a Minister.

He said: “Imo residents and indeed the Southeast is blessed to have Governor Uzodinma, as his handwork is already showing everywhere.

“Let me thank you for a lot of improvement that you have done in the State as is also shown by the neatness and beauty of the Capital city.”

He used the opportunity to congratulate Governor Uzodinma and President Tinubu on the election successes, including the latest victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court.

Umahi advised the Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi, “not to waste his time going ahead with the case as God has used him to justify the efforts of the Governor and to reposition the Southeast.”

During the Works Minister’s visit to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, he called on the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi not to contemplate appealing the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which affirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the poll.

Umahi inspects Abuja-Lokoja road, threatens to sack contractors over shoddy job

The PEPT had dismissed the suit filed by Peter Obi and his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of the country against Tinubu.

Obi, however, has vowed to challenge the judgement of the tribunal in the Supreme Court.

But Umahi while answering questions from reporters in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital on Saturday when he paid a visit to Governor Francis Nwifuru as part of his ongoing inspection of federal roads in the south-east, urged Obi not to go on appeal against the tribunal judgement.

He said the LP presidential candidate would still fail in the Appeal court as according to him, he came 3rd at the general election.

The former Governor of Ebonyi State opined that God told him that Tinubu would become President of the country in 2023 and it has manifested in his victory.

Umahi said “Throughout the campaign period and even now, I keep saying it boldly that God told me that Tinubu will be President of Nigeria.

“It was tough here in South East but I am very happy that Tinubu eventually became the President of this country.

“Like I said in Imo State, God has a purpose for everybody. There was John the Baptist, there was Christ and there is still Christ.

“Peter Obi has served the purpose of John the Baptist for the Divine President Bola Tinubu Ahmed, that’s all that God brought him to do this time around.

“So, I advise him not to appeal the judgement. I am not a lawyer but the Governor of Ebonyi State is a lawyer and he has interpreted the judgment and it has left no hope for any appeal.

”Those judges are spirits. They went into everything and dissected them just like getting a coconut and breaking it. You will get the water and everything and get the nut.

“So, I advise him not to go to appeal, he is not even 2nd, he came 3rd at the election. He is our brother. Let South Eastern people come together to support President Tinubu. He made us the number one Minister even when we didn’t vote very well for him.

“But we voted even very well more than other regions because through the calling of John the Baptist, we were able to bring down PDP and that is a victory for APC.”

He called on the east to key into the centre to be treated fairly like other regions of the country.

“We have to key into the centre to be treated like others, Now that Mr . President has graciously done what has never been done by giving us the Minister of Works; we are going to rewrite the wrongs.”