Minister of Works David Umahi says there will no longer be a need for the people of the South-East to agitate for a Biafran nation, as President Bola Tinubu’s inclusive governance has addressed the region’s long-standing grievances.
The minister made the remarks in a one-minute, 30-second video of an inspection tour of ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the region.
Mr Umahi said the agitation for Biafra, largely driven by feelings of neglect, exclusion, and underrepresentation, has significantly reduced under Mr Tinubu’s administration due to increased federal presence and investments in the South-East.
“There will be no need for Biafra again,” Mr Umahi said. “In the past administration, our people felt very much marginalised, and that was the reason some people were agitating for Biafra. But I can say today that we are well integrated into the mainstream of the nation, Nigeria.”
According to Mr Umahi, the people of the South-East are now “comfortable and happy” with Mr Tinubu.
“So, we are very grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There will be no need for Biafra again. We are comfortable. We are very happy with the integration,” he said.
Mr Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, highlighted several ongoing and completed federal projects in the South-East, noting that many of them had stalled for more than a decade before the Tinubu administration intervened.
He said the federal government is prioritising durable infrastructure, particularly concrete roads designed to last between 50 and 100 years.
“For more than 15 years, it has been one government coming to do something small and go. But the section being handled by MTN under RCC will be completed fully by February, and it is costing N202 billion,” he said.
According to him, another 72-kilometre road section being handled by SKCC at the cost of N150 billion has already received 30 per cent payment.
“The job of building roads by Mr President all over the country is that these roads will stay for 50 to 100 years,” he said, comparing the projects to the ongoing coastal highway.
Mr Umahi listed key projects in the region, including the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, and Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge, valued at N176 billion.
“You go to Enugu now, and you see the Artisan Bridge finished, dusted, and delivered. You go to Depot Junction in Eke-Obinagu, where the biggest flyover in the South-East is ongoing.
“These are the reasons why I said we do not have any reason again to agitate for Biafra. He that has started this great and beautiful thing, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will continue it,” he said.
The minister added that political relevance for the South-East must be pursued through strategy rather than rhetoric.
“We cannot retake our rightful position by sentiment and venomous statements. It is by realities and being strategic,” he stated.
Mr Umahi described his support for Mr Tinubu and the recent defection of the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as calculated political decisions.
“I am supporting President Bola Tinubu; it is being strategic. The governor of Enugu State coming over to the APC is being strategic,” he added.
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