Umahi to Abaribe: No basis for Biafra agitation, South-east no longer marginalised under Tinubu
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has said there is no justification for renewed Biafra agitation, insisting that the South-east is no longer marginalised under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference in Abuja, Umahi said the level of federal inclusion, infrastructure development, and security investment in the region had removed the basis for separatist narratives.
“With this level of inclusion, there is no need for Biafra agitation. We are better together in Nigeria,” he said, while urging South-east leaders to openly counter separatist rhetoric.
The minister maintained that claims of exclusion no longer reflect reality, arguing that Tinubu’s administration has deliberately reintegrated the South-east into national development planning.
“There was a time the South-east was totally excluded. That has changed. Today, the president has included us, and that inclusion is real and visible,” Umahi said.
He listed major projects across the zone, including the Enugu–Onitsha expressway, Enugu–Port Harcourt road, Second Niger Bridge bypass, Abakaliki–Enugu road, as well as several flyovers and bridges, noting that many were either completed or at advanced stages.
He also disclosed that the president recently approved the establishment of an army training depot in Ebonyi State to strengthen security in the region.
Umahi further accused Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of criticising President Tinubu in a manner capable of inciting the public and called for the application of the Cybercrime Act against the lawmaker.
“And I believe that if you are in a position to criticise, be constructive, and I think that the cyber bullying act should be deployed so that when you say things you cannot prove just to deceive the public, you should be able to answer to that. This is very, very critical and very important.”
The minister’s remarks followed comments credited to Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South, who reportedly said it would be impossible for Tinubu to win re-election in 2027 and claimed the president did not win the 2023 election, arguing that economic hardship would prevent his return.
Reacting specifically to Abaribe’s criticism of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway project, Umahi dismissed allegations of procurement violations and told the senator to familiarise himself with the law.
“There are three categories of procurement recognised by the Procurement Act. I want Senator Abaribe to go and study it and come back to tell Nigerians whether there was any infringement in the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway,” he said.
He described the claims as an attack on his integrity and stressed that all statutory requirements were met, including the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. According to him, the project was openly advertised, subjected to stakeholder engagement, and certified after an internationally recognised ESIA process.
“The project was so credible that when it was presented to foreign financial institutions, it was oversubscribed by over 100 million dollars,” Umahi said, adding that international financiers adjudged it “properly packaged, of very high quality, and even undervalued.”
He disclosed that section one of the Lagos coastal road was about 85 per cent completed and would soon be opened to traffic, while other sections were progressing steadily.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo Esq, said Tinubu had shown “uncommon love” for national development through massive infrastructure investment across all regions.
“There is nowhere in this country where projects are not springing up. Nigerians should ask themselves where the president is getting the resources to do all these projects. It is because he wants to develop this country,” he said.
Goronyo urged Nigerians to protect public assets and appealed for the reactivation of the Safer Highway Patrol, noting that over 1,600 projects were currently ongoing nationwide.
Related to this topic:
Tinubu commiserates with Prof. Baike’s family
27 December 2025
Tinubu Assures CAN of Change In Approach To Tackling Insecurity
27 December 2025
