The Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, has called on Nigerians, particularly people of the South-East, to acknowledge and appreciate the infrastructure strides recorded under President Bola Tinubu.
Umahi made the call at the 10th anniversary celebration of De Pinnacle Club International, held on October 4 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja. The event, organised under the leadership of Chief Sir David Nwosu, brought together prominent South-Easterners from politics, business, entrepreneurship and professional practice.
The Minister, who was honoured with an Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation, said Nigerians should not allow political sentiments to prevent them from recognising the tangible achievements of the Tinubu administration.
“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.
According to him, the South-East provides visible examples of projects that have moved from years of deterioration, delay or inadequate connectivity to substantial completion or active construction under the Tinubu administration.
Umahi stressed that infrastructure development in the zone is part of a broader programme being implemented across the six geopolitical zones.
He listed 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, among other federal interventions.
He explained that when President Tinubu assumed office, the Second Niger Bridge had been completed but could not deliver its full economic value because the access roads connecting both the Onitsha and Asaba ends were in poor condition.
“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.
According to him, the access road project is recording progress, with the Anambra section about 40 per cent complete and the Asaba axis about 35 per cent complete.
Umahi also highlighted the importance of the Lagos-Shagamu Road, describing it as a critical link for millions of people travelling from the South-West through Ogun and Edo to Asaba and other parts of the country.
The Minister further argued that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated greater inclusion of the South-East in national leadership, citing the appointments of prominent South-Easterners to strategic positions.
“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 described the appointments and projects as evidence of the full integration of the South-East into the national development agenda.
Umahi also revealed how his attention was drawn, via social media, to the vandalism of the First Niger Bridge, where scrap scavengers were reportedly removing bolts and expansion metals.
He said he took immediate action with the directive and support of President Tinubu, disclosing plans to equip the bridge with a modern surveillance system similar to that on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
“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. I will design the First Niger Bridge like the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, with CCTV cameras and control points to fish out these vandals and control accidents,” he said.
While commending De Pinnacle Club International for its decade of service and philanthropy, Umahi acknowledged its contributions to youth empowerment, healthcare and community development across the South-East.
The 10th anniversary, themed “A Decade of Excellence, Legacy and Impact,” attracted prominent personalities, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, and leading entrepreneurs such as Chief Dr Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, Chief Sir Kenneth Ifekudu, Amb. Elijah Onyeagba and Chief Dr Ifeanyi Okorie.
A major highlight was the presentation of the Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation to Umahi, in recognition of his commitment to transforming Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape through concrete road technology, stronger project accountability and accelerated execution of federal highway projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the club for sustaining a decade of unity, philanthropy and socio-economic contributions, noting that development cannot be left to government alone.
“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,” he said.
He dedicated the honour to President Tinubu, as well as engineers, contractors and other professionals working across the infrastructure sector, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Francis Nwaze, issued to newsmen on Tuesday.
