By Nkechi Eze
Minister of Works, Senator David Nweze Umahi has urged Nigerians, particularly people of the Southeast, not to allow political sentiments to prevent them from recognising and appreciating infrastructure projects being executed under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to an official statement signed by Francis Nwaze, Senior Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Works (Media), Umahi made the call on October 4 while speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of De Pinnacle Club International, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.
The event, organised under the leadership of Chief Sir David Nwosu, brought together prominent Nigerians from the Southeast drawn from politics, business, entrepreneurship and professional practice.
Umahi, who was honoured with an Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation, said Nigerians should acknowledge tangible developments across the country while continuing to demand more from government.
“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,” he said.
The Minister said the Southeast had witnessed a number of federal infrastructure interventions, with several projects moving from years of deterioration, delay or inadequate connectivity to substantial completion or active construction.
He listed the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, Eke-Obinagu Flyover, New Artisan Bridge, access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, Enugu–Abakaliki Road and the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway among projects forming part of the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme in the region.
Umahi, however, stressed that the projects were part of a broader infrastructure programme being implemented by the Tinubu administration across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
On the Second Niger Bridge, the Minister explained that although the bridge had been completed before the present administration assumed office, poor access roads had limited its ability to deliver its full economic value.
“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.
He disclosed that work on the access roads was progressing, with the Anambra section about 40 per cent complete and the Asaba axis about 35 per cent complete.
The Minister also highlighted the Lagos–Shagamu road as a critical transportation corridor, noting its importance to Nigerians travelling from Lagos through Ogun and Edo to Asaba and other parts of the country.
Umahi further pointed to the representation of people from the Southeast in strategic positions within the Federal Government, describing the appointments alongside infrastructure projects as evidence of the zone’s participation in the national development agenda.
“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 said.
The Minister also disclosed that his attention was drawn through social media to the vandalism of the First Niger Bridge, where scrap scavengers were allegedly removing components, including nuts and expansion metals.
He said he immediately intervened with the directive and support of President Tinubu, adding that plans were underway to deploy modern surveillance infrastructure on the bridge to curb vandalism and improve safety.
“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.
Umahi also commended De Pinnacle Club International for its decade of service and philanthropic activities, particularly its contributions to youth empowerment, healthcare and community development across the Southeast.
“I have seen some of the things you do, helping young men and women from the Southeast establish themselves, building hospitals, and that is what humanity is all about,” he said.
The 10th anniversary celebration, themed “A Decade of Excellence, Legacy and Impact,” attracted prominent personalities, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, as well as business leaders and entrepreneurs such as Chief Dr. Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, Chief Sir Kenneth Ifekudu, OFR, Amb. Elijah Onyeagba and Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Okorie.
A major highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation to Umahi.
The organisers said the award recognised the Minister’s contribution to infrastructure development through the adoption of durable concrete road technology, stronger project accountability and accelerated execution of federal highway projects under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the leadership and members of De Pinnacle Club International for sustaining a decade of unity, philanthropy and socio-economic contributions.
He said development should not be left to government alone, noting that private organisations and community groups also had a role to play in strengthening the country’s economic and social foundations.
“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. You are demonstrating the true spirit of patriotism,” he said.
Umahi dedicated the award to President Tinubu, as well as engineers, contractors and other professionals contributing to infrastructure development across the country.
