The Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON, on Monday declared that Nigeria’s economic outlook has turned a corner, saying the country’s Gross Domestic Product is now growing faster than its population.
“I was enthused to find out that our GDP is growing more than our population. That means we have a future,” Umahi said at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja.
The minister spoke shortly after he was formally inducted as Grand Patron of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, by the association’s national leadership.
The event brought together student leaders from across the country who praised Umahi for what they described as visible strides in road infrastructure under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
NANS President, Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, GCNS, led the induction and described Umahi as “a worthy member of the Renewed Hope Cabinet and, indeed, as one of the finest public servants Nigeria has produced in the contemporary era.”
Afeez said the honour was not ceremonial. According to him, roads and bridges delivered under Umahi’s supervision have direct consequences for students’ mobility, access to campuses, examinations, internships, businesses and jobs.
The association specifically referenced the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Minna route, the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to improving national connectivity.
Afeez disclosed that NANS had reviewed project reports from the Federal Ministry of Works covering May 2023 to May 2026. He added that the association plans nationwide tours to inspect completed and rehabilitated projects and will use its platforms to communicate the impact to millions of Nigerian students.
Responding to criticism of the administration, Umahi challenged young Nigerians to look beyond political sentiments and assess policies on their merits.
“We have had somebody say, ‘President Tinubu is tired.’ How do you know he is tired? I am part of President Tinubu. The Minister of Interior, the FCT, all the ministers and all the SSAs are vibrant and working. So how do you just jump at that conclusion?” he asked.
He pressed critics to offer alternatives. “If you say that the President is not doing well, what is your alternative?” Umahi said, stressing that political promises must be backed by clear plans.
On the macroeconomy, the minister acknowledged that recovery was just beginning but urged Nigerians to compare current conditions with what existed before May 2023.
“You may say that the macroeconomy is just beginning to recover. What was it like before the President took over? Everybody agrees that the macroeconomy is being fixed. It is up to you to dissect the ongoing reforms and take a position,” he said.
Umahi also pointed to stability in the education sector, noting that students had completed an academic cycle without a nationwide strike. “For the first time, students never went on strike. Never. Look at the stability of Nigeria. That has never happened throughout the history of this country,” he said.
Where is the subsidy money?
Addressing questions on the removal of fuel subsidy, Umahi linked the savings to large-scale infrastructure spending.
He cited the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, a 375-kilometre corridor that doubles to 750 kilometres as a dual carriageway. According to him, more than ₦200 billion has been spent so far, with 480 kilometres of the dual carriageway completed. He added that 118 kilometres of concrete pavement had been delivered within 30 months, “something that has never happened.”
The minister said the two projects on the route are valued at ₦752 billion, with over 80 percent already paid, and that remaining works are expected by November.
He also highlighted the Sokoto-Zamfara-Zaria corridor, the Benue-Ninth Mile road, and the Bodo-Bonny Island road. On Bonny, he said: “For the first time, people will move from the island to the mainland in Bonny Island, where the LNG is produced. A project costing ₦280 billion under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been completed. The 39.7-kilometre road is fully done, and the people of Bonny are very happy. They are no longer dying at sea. They are now driving through the land.”
Legacy projects and regional integration
Umahi defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against criticism and said more than 50 percent of the entire stretch is already under construction. “I do not know why people are attacking the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. After all, this is coming from the Niger Delta, where the oil is coming from. Why is nobody attacking the other three Legacy Projects, but this one is being attacked? That is unfair and unrealistic. That project will be completed,” he said.
He also spoke on the expanded Northeast Fourth Legacy Project, now extended from Akwanga through Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu to Yobe and Maiduguri, adding 400 kilometres.
On the Southeast, Umahi said President Tinubu had deliberately prioritized projects to integrate the region into the national network. He listed the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway among key interventions, and announced approval for the re-scoping and reconstruction of the Lokoja-Benin-Warri corridor covering 401 kilometres.
“The Southeast, for the first time, is being remembered, and I thank the people in the Southeast because sometimes I say, ‘Listen, our people should not be sentimental,’” he said.
Call for political support and transparency
The minister made a direct appeal to students ahead of the 2027 general elections. “I want you to take a side. If you say you are on the list of a coalition and you say that what we are doing is good, then we have to take a stand to vote for the President in the coming election. Let him finish. Let him take back our country. Let him reposition our country,” Umahi said.
He pointed to declining food prices as another sign of recovery, recalling that a 50kg bag of rice that rose above ₦80,000 and at some point hit ₦100,000 is now selling around ₦58,000.
On accountability, Umahi said the Ministry of Works had invited scrutiny by anti-corruption agencies. “Transparency. We have turned these projects over to the ICPC. They have gone round. We are ready for constructive criticism, and where necessary, we will make amends,” he said. He added that the ministry had also written to the EFCC to inspect its projects.
He urged NANS to organize a zonal student engagement where ministers and Senior Special Assistants to the President could answer questions directly. “Let me defend this administration. Organise it and let me come. Move students from across the zone to a central point where we can talk to them and address their concerns,” he said.
“History will remember what we built”
Concluding, Afeez said NANS considered Umahi worthy of patronage because of his record in public service. “History will not remember public officers merely because they occupied important offices. History will remember them for what they built, what they changed and the lives they touched,” he said.
Umahi thanked the students and called on them to remain informed and hold leaders accountable. “See something, say something. Together, we can take back our country because it belongs to us,” he said.
The induction ceremony was attended by officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and student leaders from various institutions across the country.
