Umahi accuses Obi of inciting Igbo against FG over coastal highway
By Jeffrey Agbo
Minister of Works David Umahi has knocked a former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his criticism of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
On Tuesday, Obi said in a statement that the President Bola Tinubu administration was, through the demolitions ongoing for the project, creating more unemployment and destroying investments that paid taxes, adding that the Landmark Beach Resort worth $200 million was adversely affected.
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Obi, a former Anambra State governor, said that the Federal Government failed to listen to the public outcry over the demolition of invested structures.
In reaction to Obi’s statement, Umahi said on Wednesday that the former was inciting the Igbo against the Federal Government.
Umahi spoke at an event organised to compensate the owners of demolished structures.
The minister claimed Obi did a similar thing while he was governor of Anambra State, and he did not even compensate people affected in his time.
READ ALSO: FG pays N2.75bn compensation for coastal highway demolitions today
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Umahi said: “It brings me to some of the comments made by my brother, his Excellency Mr Peter Obi, I am not supposed to comment about it because some people have already done the work.
“And I know what Arise Television brought courtesy of Channels Television, they were bringing similar scenarios when His Excellency Peter Obi was the governor. He made a statement saying ‘Any infrastructure that stands in the way of the road must go. And there would be no compensation paid.’ That’s what he said.
“But look at me, by the human face of the renewed hope agenda administration, we are even paying for people who are illegally staying on the coastal line, and don’t have valid infrastructure and valid documents. That is mercy, that’s mercy… You know some people darken counsel without knowledge. You know there’s the devil in the details.
“When you condemn people, you bring judgment upon yourself. And that is what he (Obi) has done. And I think he’s inciting some of the south east people that are not well informed. He is inciting them. And gets them into trouble. And he doesn’t go to fight for them. Wisdom is a defence. And I want our people to have wisdom because I am involved.
“There’s is no inhumanity meted to Landmark, that matter should be buried because I was there. And so we fought everything possible. Even some people donated property to save his two big infrastructure. That’s appreciation. But some people have taken sides along with him to play politics.”
