Minister of Works, David Umahi, has lambasted Kano State governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over claims of Northern neglect, describing it as false, misleading and politically self-serving.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the works minister maintained that the North accounts for 52 per cent, while the South has 48 per cent out of the total length of Tinubu’s legacy projects, stressing that Kwankwaso’s claims were aimed at deceiving northerners and stirring unnecessary regional sentiments.
Umahi appealed to Nigerians to disregard Kwankwaso’s claims, assuring them that President Tinubu remains firmly committed to developing every part of the country with fairness, equity, and the fear of God. He urged the former Kano State governor to tender his unreserved apology to the president for misleading Nigerians and retract the unfounded statement, which he described as lacking in both fact and substance.
“To my brother Senator Kwankwaso, you owe our dear president an apology and a duty to withdraw your statement using the information I have provided for the benefit of Nigerians and the unity of the nation.
“I request the good people of Nigeria to ignore Senator Kwankwaso’s misleading statement and know that President Tinubu is equally committed to developing every part of this country with fairness, equity, and the fear of God,” he said.
The minister maintained that the statement was made out of Kwankwaso’s desperation and struggle to inherit the impeccable legacy of late President Muhammadu Buhari, saying: “Trying to be like our late President Buhari cannot be a job of three decades and cannot be done with deceit., “I think our younger generation has such a chance, and it must be worked for through hard work, honesty, transparency, and commitment to the unity of our country, a legacy that our late President Buhari achieved in all his life on earth. May God continue to bless his legacies and give him a peaceful rest, Amen”.
Umahi provided updates on major ongoing federal road projects across all six geopolitical zones. According to him, the four legacy projects of the Tinubu’s administration include the 750km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with 175km under construction, the 1, with 378km ongoing in the North, the 465km Trans-Sahara Highway, with 59km under construction in Ebonyi State, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Road, measuring 439km and currently undergoing redesign to rigid pavement., 068km Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway
He added that Kebbi State alone has 316km under construction, and Sokoto has 240km ongoing. In contrast, Lagos has just 220km
Umahi cited the 275km dualised Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria Road, part of a 750km corridor being handled by four contractors at N824 billion, while also listing the 700km Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road, valued at N764 billion.
The Minister also included the 256km BUA Tax Credit Road spanning Jigawa, Katsina, and Kano states; the 156km Zaria-Hunkuyi Road; the 49km Kano Northern Bypass; the 110km Kano-Maiduguri Section V; and various Dangote Tax Credit roads in Borno State. According to him, additional projects in the North include the 76km Malando road in Kebbi; the 250km Benue-to-9th Mile Road; and the 86km Lokoja-Okene dualisation project.
“Mr. President has continued to fund critical projects irrespective of region. These are all part of our economic corridors. I will publish details of ongoing projects above N20 billion next week,” Umahi said.
