Minister of Works David Umahi has rejected allegations that the Federal Government is concentrating road infrastructure projects in the South-East, saying ongoing interventions are based on projects approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Umahi made the clarification during an inspection of the Trans-Sahara Highway project, which runs through parts of the South-East and North-Central regions. The minister said claims that he had “cornered” federal road projects to the South-East were unfounded and maintained that the Ministry of Works was implementing projects across the country.
“They want to gag me on social media when they say I cornered all the road projects to the South-East,” Umahi said.
He added that records of ongoing federal road projects were publicly available and argued that he was implementing projects approved by the President.
The Federal Ministry of Works has previously said it maintains a comprehensive record of inherited, ongoing and intervention projects nationwide. Recent federal infrastructure announcements also include projects across states in different geopolitical zones.
Umahi Rejects Claims of Abandoned Highways
Addressing concerns over the condition of existing highways, Umahi also denied that the ministry had abandoned established routes in favour of newly created corridors. He said the route used during the inspection included existing roads that were being expanded and rehabilitated as part of the wider infrastructure programme.
The Trans-Sahara Superhighway is one of the Federal Government’s major legacy road projects. Official government information says the corridor is intended to connect Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. Recent project details show that the highway is being developed in sections. Section One covers the Ebonyi axis to the Ebonyi-Benue boundary, while another section runs through parts of Benue, Enugu and Kogi towards the Nasarawa axis.
During the inspection, Umahi directed the contractor handling the project to begin simultaneous work on three designated sections. He also said he would personally inspect the Ador Bridge during his next visit. The minister urged Nigerians to support the administration’s infrastructure programme, arguing that the projects were intended to improve connectivity and support economic activity.
His comments come amid wider debate over the distribution and performance of federal road projects across Nigeria, with the Ministry of Works continuing to announce interventions on major routes in different regions. For example, the ministry recently ordered emergency intervention on the Benin-Asaba Road in the South-South.
