By Francis Ede
He comes with a very rich pedigree, Engr David Umahi, the Honourable Minister of Works under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has such a resourceful and unprecedented profile that he is bringing to bear on his assigned portfolio the Ministry of Works. And he is already changing the ugly narrative concerning the state of our roads nationwide.
Like an Eagle on top of an Iroko tree, Engr David Umahi (Akubaru Oha) is seen, heard and felt by everyone around him. An Eagle on top of an Iroko presents a transcendental picturesque with both the bird and the tree reeling with magisterial delight.
And he has since established a reputation of a workaholic, dedicated and highly principled public officer who is always out to deliver the best and only the best for the people he set out to serve as could be seen from his tenure as Ebonyi State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or when he served as the State Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State under His Excellency, Martin Elechi, and finally in quite an exponential cadence as Governor of Ebonyi State for eight years in office, and finally as Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria when he was Majority Whip of the red chamber before it pleased His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint him as the Honourable Minister of Works in his ongoing administration barely one year ago.
His penchant and reputation, some would say his genius for laying good, solid and veritable infrastructure facilities on the ground for the people of Ebonyi State proceeds him, be it in the building of good schools, lower and higher educational facilities, he upgraded the facilities at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki; built and equipped a world class University of Medicine at his home town Uburu. He also provided affordable housing for the people of the state, paid attention to the welfare and prompt payment of worker’s salaries and also ensured corruption free governance.
In road construction, Engr. David Umahi’s uncommon performance in this sphere is top notch, the roads he built were not just of excellent quality, but were ‘seminal’ in standard of execution and durability and are also dotted with numerous flyovers and well laid out water drainages.
In addition to all this, his exploits in the areas of agriculture and mining were breathtaking enhancing the internal revenue generation of the state.
I think in terms of flyover bridges, Ebonyi State under Ex Gov David Umahi has the highest number after Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, but the flyover bridges that Engr. Umahi built may likely take the lead in terms of structural gauge and ascetics.
Yet his high marks in the areas of transportation are not spent yet, he built a modern airport that would commence landing of commercial flights soon with railway lines that would be taking people from the airport with speed coaches to inside town.
H. E. Engr. David Umahi was the only governor in South East among his set who built all the federal government roads in his state and the former President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammed Buhari, paid countless numbers of state visits to commission projects built by Governor David Umahi as he then was.
An interesting testament was made by His Excellency, Ex Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu on David Umahi’s uncommon ambition for dedicated service to the people which he said manifested openly when he invited him to flag off a major road that he H. E. Okezie was building at Abia State then but Engr. David Umahi told him that he would not perform that flag off unless he is assured that the road design meets specific high quality standards, both in thickness, solidity, durability and accompanying drainage system.
A man of great perception and actions, Sen. Engr. David Umahi has shown a great deal of deep rooted desire for efficiency, positive focus and ability to deliver promptly on any project that he earmarks or executes over the years.
And he has evidenced a marked coolness in spite of the hazards involved in the jobs he has done or the offices he has occupied and administered. This has also helped him to earn tremendous commendation and approval from people across the length and breath of our nation. And this character trait would have in retrospect constituted the reason or reasons why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not only made him a Minister in his cabinet but also gave him the Ministry of Works portfolio.
Inevitably, that choice of Mr. President was well made as Engr. David Umahi is holding out eloquently and diligently in his own contributions to the realization of the rebuild Nigeria project of President Bola Tinubu aptly unveiled in the Renewed Hope mantra. While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself has shown strident resolve to change the trajectory of Nigerian history, its politics, economics and social development in real terms, human and material resources inclusive.
The same President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also shown express determination to bequeath as many signature projects as possible to the nation in spite of the hash economic realities of the moment.
Now the whole nation is lit up with a large flame of construction activities going on across the country as contractors work day and night to deliver on time on the multiple road projects that have been awarded to them by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Works. In one dizzy and exciting feat that ministry under Engr. David Umahi is constructing over 2000 roads simultaneously across the country, highlighting it with the biggest contract ever to be awarded in this country, the Lagos to Calabar Coastal Road which is traversing some states in the South and that is soon to be followed by the Lagos to Sokoto Coastal Road that will pass through some states in the Northern parts of Nigeria.
Some other roads presently under construction includes Ado – Ijan Road and Ado – Ikere – Akure Road in Ekiti State, Bende – Ohafia – Arochukwu Road in Abia State, Lokoja – Okene Road in Kogi State, Abuja – Kaduna -Zaria – Kano Road, Markudi – Otukpo -Obollo-Afor – 9th Mile Road, Enugu -Abakaliki Road amongst others. And more importantly to this writer, since all politics is local, Nkalagu – Eha-Amufu – Ikem Road which is having the Ebenyi bridge since after the Nigerian Civil War.
The hopes of all the people in the road axis mentioned and all those too numerous to mention here and indeed all those that are on the way coming are truly being renewed in the goodness of the Nigerian project and the efficiency of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Federal Government, and indeed in the potency of the President’s desire and sworn declaration to rebuild our nation in spite of all the odds. The changes are becoming obvious and the achievements laudable.
Francis Ede writes from Abuja
