By Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has revealed that the incumbent administration inherited over 2,604 uncompleted projects valued at more than N18 trillion, with outstanding debts to contractors exceeding N1 trillion. Due to currency fluctuations, the cumulative project value has since risen to N19 trillion.
He made this known when he received members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum of State Chairmen in Abuja.
He said: “So what the president did was to direct that we should prioritise all the projects along the economic corridor of the nation. And we came up with about 440 to give life to,” Umahi stated.
He further disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had also initiated over 65 new infrastructure projects, all strategically located within the nation’s economic corridor. He pointed to the four signature infrastructure projects as being more than mere roads or bridges.
“They are investments. If you look at the Lagos-Calabar, which is another 50 kilometres, Section 1, which is about 7.47 kilometres, is about 70 per cent done. I’m very excited because a lot of people have tried to dissect the projects,” he said.
Umahi emphasised that despite public scrutiny, no one has been able to question the integrity of the cost structure.
“I’ve been able to go to five television houses to get the cost elements. And nobody’s been able to account for the cost,” he explained. “And so, locally, we’ve been able to defend the cost of this project and the need for investments. The character of the project, the content of the project, we’ve been able to defend it. And internationally, we’ve been appraised. In fact, we command international respect because of the great work that the president is doing.”
Reflecting on the state of the economy when the current administration assumed office, Umahi said:
“We inherited an economy that was in coma, but President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his wisdom, has been able to revive it and remove it from life support. And today, the economy is alive; the economy is unspoiled, and we have an increase in our foreign reserve.”
Earlier, the APC chairman in Cross River State and secretary of the Forum of APC State Chairmen, Alphonsus Ogar, appealed for the inclusion of state party leaders in the monitoring and implementation of projects in their respective domains. The minister approved their request, affirming the government’s commitment to transparency and grassroots involvement.