Enyinna Omoke, Abakaliki
Ahead of 2027 general elections, the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has called on the people of South East to give massive support to the reelection bid of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the fourth coming 2027 general elections, saying that the President has Proffered Solutions to the challenges facing Ndigbo, adding that there’s no need for Biafra agitation since he has given South East sense of belongings.
He used the opportunity to highlight mega projects that has been carried out in South East and other parts of the country.
The Minister of Works disclosed this while inspecting projects along Onueke,Afikpo and other parts of Ebonyi State .
The Minister said that the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to addressing long-standing developmental concerns in the region.
Umahi said the ongoing infrastructure projects, particularly in Ebonyi State and neighbouring Southeast states, have strengthened the confidence of the people in the Tinubu administration and would naturally attract political support from the region.
According to the minister, support for the President should not be viewed from the angle of sentiment or ethnic considerations, but from visible governance, strategic planning and practical results that directly impact the lives of the people.
“We in the Southeast will support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This presidency is not built on sentiments but on strategic planning. The President has substantially addressed many of the issues that concern our people,” Umahi stated.
He maintained that while every challenge confronting the region may not have been fully resolved, the Federal Government has shown commitment through large-scale infrastructure interventions capable of transforming transportation, trade and economic activities across the Southeast corridor.
Umahi particularly highlighted the ongoing legacy road project linking the Calabar end of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to Ndibe Beach and extending through Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Abuja.
The minister disclosed that the stretch from Calabar to the Ebonyi-Benue boundary spans about 123 kilometres and was initially designed as a single carriageway with a width of 12 metres before sections of the project were upgraded to dual carriageway to accommodate future expansion and increased traffic demands.
He further revealed that the road project, estimated at about N454 billion, would feature reinforced concrete pavement and solar-powered street lighting, adding that the Federal Government had already released 50 percent of the funding required for the execution of the project.
“We have seen contractors working in more than ten different sections with equipment never before experienced in Ebonyi State,” Umahi said while expressing satisfaction with the pace and quality of work currently ongoing across various project sites.
The minister also disclosed that the second phase of the highway project covering about 178 kilometres from the Ebonyi-Benue boundary through Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states has commenced, while ongoing flyover projects at Onueke, the airport bridge axis and timber market corridor are progressing steadily, with the Federal Government reaffirming its commitment to expanding infrastructure development across the Southeast and beyond.
