Those who are still doubting the nose of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for talents need no further evidence than his choice of former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Dave Umahi CON, as Minister of Works. In less than a year in office, Umahi, a civil engineer, has given a new lease of life to our federal roads, which prior to now, received uncomplimentary media coverage. Gradually, news about “death traps” and “deplorable highways” are vanishing in both the print and electronic media.
This feat has brought enormous succour to Nigerian road users, who hitherto suffered unquantifiable losses from road accidents arising from bad roads. While many Nigerians lost loved ones in these road carnages, the survivors ended up with one form of disability or the other. Several expensive cars and others vehicles were damaged, some beyond repair. The tide turned since Pastor Umahi started ministering to our roads.
Granted that many of the roads were under construction before he assumed office at the Federal Ministry of Works, the pace was slow and the quality poor. He quickened the pace and improved the quality of work on the roads by introducing the concrete pavement technology. Although the asphalt pavement previously used was seen as cheaper and more flexible, experts in road construction agree that concrete pavement guarantees ease of construction, durability and reduced cost of maintenance of the roads.
Unlike many of his predecessors in the works ministry who concentrated more on paperwork, Umahi, being on a familiar terrain, has been traversing the entire country with his team, supervising ongoing road projects to ensure that they are executed according to specification. In less than eight months, he crisscrossed the six geo-political zones of the country, inspecting ongoing work on federal roads in many states, including Kogi, Ekiti, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Oyo, Imo, Osun, Abia and Kaduna, among others.
Even people who do not like his face are applauding his performance in the road sector in Nigeria. His experience in the construction industry predated his emergence as Governor. Although Umahi honed his skills in engineering as a young contractor, he became a master of construction during his eight years as Governor of Ebonyi State from 2015 to 2023.
Having last visited Ebonyi about a decade ago, this writer couldn’t find his way when he visited Abakiliki, the state capital, a few weeks back. The flyovers that Umahi constructed made the city look awesome. I noticed that almost all the major roads were reconstructed with concrete pavement. The roads looked both splendid and solid.
Besides, I saw a new Government House, hosting the Governor’s Office and almost the entire government ministries. Ironically, Ebonyi State was created six years after the creation of my home state, Anambra. But governors in Anambra still operate from the temporary Governor’s Office donated to the state government by a construction company when the state was created in 1991. This is a discussion for another day.
As Minister of Works, Umahi has once more proved his mettle in the area of construction. But no matter how excellently one performs in Nigeria, there are bound to be criticisms. I heard some people murmuring about the “transformative” Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. While I may not be in a position to comment in details about the project, my expectation is that someone who wishes to criticise, must do so with accurate and verifiable information. Critics of the proposed coastal road alleged that it would cost a whooping N8 billion to construct a kilometre. Umahi dismissed the claim in a live television interview, stating in black and white, that a kilometre will cost N4 billion.
I suspect that the critics were either speaking from outdated knowledge or deep-seated antagonism of the government. Going by the current cost of construction materials, I don’t see anything strange in spending N15 trillion within a duration of eight years to construct a 700km dual carriage highway, starting from Lagos State, passing through seven states-Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States- before terminating in Cross River State. What is wrong about spending such an amount on a road that will shorten the distance between Lagos and Calabar by 200 kilometres? This is a legacy project that deserves the support of all and sundry.
Besides, I expect those complaining about the bidding process, to tell us if there was competitive bidding when the country’s choice assets and companies, numbering over 200, were sold at give-away prices to cronies and cohorts, under their supervision. They include Delta Steel Company, NICON Insurance, Egbim Power, Ughelli Power, NAFCON, NICON Luxury Hotel, Bacita Sugar Limited, NITEL, Daily Times, Eleme Petrochemical, to mention but a few.
The privatisation of these companies made thousands, if not millions of Nigerians, to lose their jobs. The resultant effect is the high unemployment rate, seen as one of the enablers of the widespread insecurity in the country today. So, those criticising Umahi over the coastal road project should understand that there is a limit to deceit and falsehood.
I will conclude by quoting a popular statement of the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
- Nzomiwu, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Awka, Anambra State
