The Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has called on Nigerians, particularly people of the Southeast, to acknowledge and appreciate the significant infrastructure and development strides recorded under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Umahi made the call while speaking at the 10th Anniversary Celebration of De Pinnacle Club International, held on October 4 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre. The event, organised under the leadership of Chief Sir David Nwosu, brought together prominent Southeastern Nigerians from the worlds of politics, business, entrepreneurship and professional practice.
The Minister, who was honoured with an Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation, said Nigerians should not allow political sentiments to prevent them from recognising tangible achievements recorded under the Tinubu administration.
“We shouldn’t live in denial. We have to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; even God Almighty appreciates gratitude. It doesn’t stop us from asking for more,” Umahi said.
According to him, the Southeast provides visible examples of projects that have moved from years of deterioration, delay or inadequate connectivity to substantial completion or active construction under the Tinubu administration.
Umahi stressed that the infrastructure development taking place in the zone is part of a much broader infrastructure programme being implemented by the President across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
He pointed to the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, Eke-Obinagu Flyover, New Artisan Bridge, Second Niger Bridge access roads, Enugu–Abakaliki road, Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nassarawa -Abuja superhighway and other major federal interventions as part of the infrastructure push across the region.
He explained that when President Tinubu assumed office, the Second Niger Bridge had been completed but could not deliver its full economic value because the access roads connecting the bridge to both the Onitsha and Asaba ends were in poor condition.
“We had the Second Niger Bridge fully completed before President Tinubu came into office, but the means of fully utilising the bridge, which is the access roads, was bad. So we are now building the access roads,” he said.
According to him, the access road project is already recording substantial progress, with the Anambra section about 40 per cent complete and the Asaba axis about 35 per cent complete.
Umahi also highlighted the importance of the Lagos-Shagamu road, describing it as a critical link for millions of Nigerians travelling from the Southwest through Ogun and Edo to Asaba and other parts of the country.
“I understand that we have a lot of our brothers and sisters in Lagos who travel from Lagos to Shagamu Interchange, from Shagamu Interchange to Ore to Edo, and get to Asaba. Now we make sure they can proceed from Lagos to Shagamu,” he said.
The Minister further argued that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated a greater level of inclusion of the Southeast in national leadership, pointing to the appointment of prominent Southeasterners into strategic positions.
“We have never had it like this with other administrations. Today, Ndi-Igbo have a Chief of Air Force, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs and the first Minister of Works,” Umahi stated.
He described the appointments and the infrastructure projects across the region as evidence of the full integration of the Southeast into the national development agenda under President Tinubu.
The Minister also revealed how his attention was drawn through social media to the vandalism of the First Niger Bridge, where scrap scavengers were reportedly removing components of the bridge, including bolts and expansion metals.
He said he immediately took action, noting that the intervention was undertaken with the directive and support of President Tinubu. He disclosed plans to equip the bridge with a modern surveillance system similar to the monitoring arrangement on Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge.
“I saw through social media that the First Niger Bridge was being destroyed by scrap sellers, the nuts and expansion metal. We took action and the project is hitting its milestones. I will design the First Niger Bridge like the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, with CCTV cameras and control points to fish out these vandals and control accidents,” he said.
While commending De Pinnacle Club International for its decade of service and philanthropy, Umahi acknowledged the organisation’s contributions to youth empowerment, healthcare and community development across the Southeast.
“I have seen some of the things you do, helping young men and women from the Southeast establish themselves, building hospitals, and that is what humanity is all about,” he said.
The 10th anniversary celebration, themed “A Decade of Excellence, Legacy and Impact,” attracted prominent personalities from across Nigeria, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, and members and leading entrepreneurs and business figures such as Chief Dr. Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, and Chief Sir Kenneth Ifekudu, OFR, Amb. Elijah Onyeagba, Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Okorie, etc.
A major highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation to Senator Engr. David Umahi.
The organisers said the award was in recognition of the Minister’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape through the adoption of durable concrete road technology, stronger project accountability and accelerated execution of federal highway projects under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the leadership and members of De Pinnacle Club International for sustaining a decade of unity, philanthropy and socio-economic contributions.
“True development cannot be left to the government alone. When clubs like De Pinnacle step in to build roads, award scholarships, and empower families with hundreds of millions of naira in seed capital, you are directly reinforcing the foundations of our national economy. You are demonstrating the true spirit of patriotism,” he said.
The Minister dedicated the honour to President Tinubu, as well as the engineers, contractors and other professionals working across the country’s infrastructure sector.