MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENT: APC PUSHES FOR UMAHI'S NOMINATION .... Says Former Ebonyi State Governor Will Unlock Radical Infrastructural Revolution in Nigeria

Pres. Tinubu & Sen Dave Umahi

"Aside building sixteen flyover bridges, Sen. Umahi built an international market with modern facilities, that is large enough to be ranked the biggest in West Africa." Eze.

Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has applauded the former governor of Ebonyi State for the landmark achievements particularly in infrastructure, recorded under his administration.

According to Eze, Ebonyi State, under the immediate past administration of Sen. David Nweze Umahi CON witnessed tremendous lift and, for this laudable feat, counselled that President Bola Tinubu must beam his searchlight and look inward, to discover the capabilities and professional competence imbued in the former Governor as this is what is needed at the moment, to save Nigeria’s crumbling infrastructure and ignite a rapid growth that will help the country catch up with the rest of the world.

In a statement made available to media houses, the APC Chief said his advice on the matter of who heads the Ministry of Works is paramount and should be heeded given that Senator Umahi displayed superlative practical performance and his credentials in infrastructure and related developments in Ebonyi while he held sway as Governor consolidates his position as a performer cum leader in structural engineering.

Highlighting some stunning infrastructural records to the credit of the former Governor, Chief Eze noted that aside building sixteen flyover bridges, Sen. Umahi built an international market with modern facilities, that is large enough to be ranked the biggest in West Africa.

The State Ecumenical Centre which sits and prides itself as the best in the country is a model for its contemporaries. The former Governor also built a modern shopping mall - the best of its kind in Nigeria to boost modern trade and commerce and improve local economy. He constructed thousands of kilometers of roads  and drainage systems with concrete overlays that meet every engineering standards, turning the state into a construction site throughout his eight-year term.

Indeed, one administration whose times and legacies will continue to resonate in the memories of men of is that of Dave Umahi, 2015-2023, whose eight-year reign transmogrified Ebonyi into an evolving economic hub of the eastern region and earned her the status of the fastest developing states in Nigeria.

Offering his opinion on the present state of Ebonyi, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze noted the state and her people owe the development that has permeated the nook and cranny of the entire enclave to former Sen. Umahi, whom he described as the vision bearer and father of the new Ebonyi state.

According to the party Chief, As Governor, Sen. Umahi created direct and indirect jobs for thousands of youths and improved the livelihoods of families through his unparalleled drive for development which is yielding a multi-sectoral result and widening the scope of the state’s economy. 

The King David University of Medical Sciences, his brainchild has since taken off and would help stem the tide of medical tourism amongst Nigerian elites. The University will serve a crucial role in providing manpower and bridging the gap in Nigeria’s ailing health sector. 

Eze who recently took a tour of the Ebonyi International Airport highlighted that the Airport was also initiated and constructed by the administration of Umahi as one of the wonders of this dispensation.

Named after one of the greatest son's of South East and one time Senate President of Nigeria Senator Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo, the airport is built and adorned with facilities of international standard and is carefully crafted to launch the state on the map of world tourism, transnational trade and commerce aside the domestic, regional and international air businesses it offers to commercial airline operators and sundry investors in the aviation sector.

Through his sterling performance as Governor, Ebonyi, the hitherto underdeveloped and backward state in Nigeria has set the pace and is already taking the lead in the aviation market.

Expressing his view on the project, Director General of the Civil Aviation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), described the airport as one of the best in the country and hoped that the facilities would be maintained to stand the test of time. He added that the project will fasten the growth of the state and improve her internally generated revenue.

With over 500 direct jobs already created, Chief Eze said the Chuba Okadigbo International Airport sitting on a 5.3 km2 area of land was constructed by indigenous expert engineering companies to boost local content.

Former President of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari explained during his two day visit to Ebonyi to commission some of the legacy projects of Umahi that he is not shocked with the ingenuity that that the former Governor brought in his administration seeing that he is an acknowledged Engineer who has distinguished himself as a seasoned and innovative Administrator.

"These and more formed the reason why I am recommending him as the next Minister of Works if we are truly serious in overhauling our road system in this country," the APC chieftain noted.

However, where he refuses to be appointed as a Minister, Eze counseled that Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, must endeavor to assign him Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works where his wealth of experience, proven competence and professional expertise can be put to meaningful use in the overall interest of our dear country.