By James Isaac, Abuja
The Minister of Works, David Umahi has posited that, those who are sceptical of the government policies are envious of the successes recorded by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where others have failed.
He stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Works investigating the contractors handling Federal Government road projects.
Umahi spoke with journalists covering the Senate after an investigative hearing with the Senate Committee on Works and contractors handling federal Government road projects.
Speaking specifically on the Lagos- Calabar coastal projects, he said that the President had a dream 25 years ago as a governor and God gave him the opportunity to actualise
According to him, people that envy him never believe that he can turn around Nigeria’s economy,saying that, “there’s no decision taken by the President that has ever failed, including this tax reform bill”.
On the controversy surrounding the diversion of the road, he said that when they got to kilometer 16, where we have the African cable that came from the ocean and we have the MTM cable, if we continue on that axis on kilometer 16, we’ll be destroying that cable.
What people are doing is that there’s little patriotism in this country. It is safer, better and cheaper for me to go along that coast, he said.
He expressed happiness over interaction with the Senate Committee on Works for supporting the President, adding that they see the good work the president is doing.
In particular, he praised the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Mpigi Barinada, a PDP senator for moving a motion that President Bola Tinubu must continue in 2027 so that he can complete all these projects.
He (Mpigi ) was not sure if any other President will have the courage to complete these project, adding that “I’m very much happy because we are on the same platform pushing these contractors on the heritage projects to see that these projects are completed
The Minister frowned at some contractors he accused of playing “politics of money and no work”.
On the indigenous contractors, he said that it is another chapter, that the President is going to enact laws that will give them comparative advantage, adding that Tinubu has directed that we give support to serious indigenous contractors, because some of these expatriate contractors have up to 20 projects, with no equipment, nor personnel.
“We have to grow our own contractors because of the number of projects we’ve inherited. But under the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if we don’t see equipment, we don’t see personnel, you will not get job under him, he reiterated.
