NO ZONE LEFT BEHIND: UMAHI CALLS FOR ACCOLADES FOR TINUBU OVER ENDING SOUTHEAST MARGINALISATION

Habila's death: "I suspect no foul play in the incident." Umahi 

.... Describes the deceased as “like a daughter” who had stayed with him for three years. 

.... Says "the President’s four legacy projects were deliberately designed to interconnect all geopolitical zones, cut travel time, and grow the nation’s Gross Domestic Product through improved commercial activities."

Nigeria's Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, on Thursday in Abuja the nation's capital called for accolades for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying his infrastructural transformation has touched every part of Nigeria with no zone left behind.

Speaking during a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja on road projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda, Umahi specifically urged the people of the Southeast to show appreciation to the President for ending decades of marginalization and isolation of the region.

According to him, the President’s four legacy projects were deliberately designed to interconnect all geopolitical zones, cut travel time, and grow the nation’s Gross Domestic Product through improved commercial activities.

“If we start with the first one, that’s the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, 750 kilometres. We have named the entire coastal highway President Bola Tinubu Coastal Highway. That project is a beauty to behold,” Umahi said.

He explained that Section 1 runs 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to a local village with two carriageways and a 25-metre rail track at the centre. Section 2 covers 55 kilometres to the Lagos-Ogun border and is about 60 percent completed. 

The Minister disclosed that the section is expected to be completed by the end of November, with some bridges to follow due to their audacious design. He cited an 80-metre span at the Dangote Refinery corridor to accommodate heavy truck traffic, compared to the traditional 15-metre span.

On the second legacy project, the Minister said the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway is 1,068 kilometres. Section 1, the 120-kilometre Ilela in Sokoto, is 70 percent completed despite security challenges and includes tree planting, solar lighting and CCTV. 

He added that Section 2 in Kebbi spans 258 kilometres and is over 40 percent completed, while Section 3 covers 162.35 kilometres in Badagry and is also dualised. The project, he said, covers over 500 kilometres of road already.

Umahi further stated that the third legacy project is the Trans-Sahara Road which passes through the Southeast and his home state, Ebonyi

“Southeast people should be very grateful to the president. Again, that which we’ve been expecting has just come to pass. Integration of the people of Southeast. Full integration. And that’s what this president has done. We have a president that loves the entire nation,” he said.

Umahi added that the fourth legacy project is the Akwanga to Maiduguri road, stressing that all four projects were interconnected and involved every geopolitical zone.

He noted that the Renewed Hope infrastructural drive was not limited to roads alone but was aimed at national integration, economic growth and ensuring that no section of the country was left behind.

The Minister also addressed the controversy surrounding the death of Miss Mary Habila, a nurse at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, who died at his guest house in Abuja.

Umahi said he suspects no foul play in the incident, describing the deceased as “like a daughter” who had stayed with him for three years. 

He explained that she had been receiving treatment for an existing health condition at a Turkish hospital, and that he personally paid N2.2 million for her last treatment in April. 

According to him, the deceased spoke with her boyfriend hours before her death, complaining of nose bleeding. He said the matter had been reported to the Inspector General of Police for transfer to Abuja, and that an autopsy had been requested but the family declined citing cultural reasons.

Umahi condemned what he described as attempts to politicize the unfortunate incident, adding that he had directed his lawyers to take action against individuals engaging in cyberbullying over the matter.

“Life is spiritual. When you want to use the unfortunate death of a young girl to play politics, be careful,” he said.