The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has reignited national debate with an emphatic declaration that President Bola Tinubu has given Ndigbo the Biafra they have long sought, not through secession, but through total inclusion in national governance.
Speaking in his New Year message on Wednesday, Umahi declared that Nigeria has emerged from its darkest chapter, insisting that the Tinubu administration’s economic policies have stabilised the nation and positioned 2026 as a year of restoration and renewal.
Calling on the South-East to close ranks behind the President, Umahi urged the region to massively support Tinubu’s re-election, describing him as a long-awaited answer to decades of neglect and marginalisation.
Umahi said, “I expressed optimism that the people of the South-East region shall rewrite the wrong of 2023 general elections and shall speak loudly in unison in massive votes for President Tinubu, who has resolved the criminal marginalisation of the region by successive administrations.
“Our people will never make the mistake of 2023. We shall remain resolute and stand strongly together behind Mr President in 2027 general election. Ndigbo will not be deceived again by marauding politicians with sugarcoated mouths.
“One of our brothers is already saying that in 2027, he will be on the ballot, but I am here telling Ndigbo that President Tinubu will be on the ballot, and once he’s on the ballot, all the governors of the South East are on the ballot.
“And myself, the Minister of Works, am also on the ballot because it is our collective interest to support Mr President, a man who has reopened our chapter and is massively investing in our future. Indeed, the Biafra is here.
“I want to tell Ndigbo to embrace social re-engineering and deradicalisation of their minds to understand that the Biafra, the Ndigbo fought, sought and are still seeking, has come through national integration by Mr President, and they should accept to be equal partakers in national development.”
On infrastructure, Umahi assured Nigerians that federal road projects are progressing simultaneously across all regions, with adequate funding and strict supervision to ensure speedy delivery and quality execution.
He further announced that a special task force would be set up to enforce the ban on truck parking along federal highways, warning that violators would face stiff sanctions.
According to him, “The Ministry of Works will work in collaboration with security agencies to make the federal highways safe for travellers who will be returning to their destinations after the yuletide.”
