The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has strongly condemned recent statements attributed to Hon. Engr. Aderemi Abasi Oseni, Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
In a press statement signed by Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, Umahi described the remarks as “misguided, self-serving, and vicious propaganda” motivated by contractors dissatisfied with his ministry’s policies.
The controversy arose from a public statement by Oseni, who criticized the Minister for the poor condition of federal roads and accused him of effectively deploying allocated resources.
Responding, the Minister expressed disappointment, noting that neither he nor the Permanent Secretary was present at any meeting where Oseni purportedly addressed him. “For the respect of Mr. Speaker, and of course the Senate President and the National Assembly that I belong to, I will refrain myself from joining issues with him,” Umahi stated.
“He said, I have failed, and if a blind man is to assess you, your guess is as good as mine because if he has no knowledge of anything, then his knowledge becomes his god so I will not join issues with him.”
Umahi outlined the significant challenges inherited by the Ministry of Works, revealing that the Tinubu administration took over 2,604 ongoing projects, valued at N13 trillion, alongside N1.6 trillion in contractor debt. He emphasized that fluctuations in exchange rates and the removal of fuel subsidies further escalated project costs to over N19 trillion.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to address the infrastructure deficit, stating, “Mr. President did what no other President has done. He manifested all the projects in the 2024 budget with the hope to give him time to look for resources, including loans, to do these projects.”
Umahi dismissed Oseni’s accusations about inadequate resource deployment, highlighting the President’s attention to the Ministry’s work: “There is no way I was going to complain of resources to fix our roads because Mr. President has given very special attention to the Federal Ministry of Works. He has paid so much attention to the sufferings of Nigerians vis-a-vis the road situation, and the ministry is not the only ministry in Nigeria.
Umahi criticized Oseni’s understanding of road construction processes, suggesting that the FERMA Chairman’s remarks reflect a lack of technical knowledge. “There is no way you expect some projects that have lasted 20 years, 18 years, 17 years to be done in one year,” he said. Comparing the complexities of road infrastructure to fertilizer procurement, he noted, “If he says he’s an engineer, he should try and understand the processes that are involved in the Ministry of Works.”
The Minister explained the importance of following proper construction procedures, stating, “The method deployed in the construction will require you to do earthwork, to compact, etc. If you don’t give it one month and you start to put stone base and asphalt, it will fail. So, those times that you are preparing the sub-grade, the sub-base, the base course before the pavement, what do you call it? It is not valued by people like him as progress made.”
Umahi also accused Oseni of overstepping his legislative boundaries, pointing out that the Senate and House Committees on Works are responsible for oversight on the Ministry’s projects.
He remarked that Oseni’s actions were designed to incite public anger against the government. “What we did is that we used over 90% of these funds to keep all the inherited projects alive as directed by Mr. President because a project has to be alive and in the budget before you can look for funds to assist it to be completed. That’s what we’ve done.”
The Minister defended the Ministry’s commitment to ongoing projects, adding, “Over 2,600 projects plus 330 supplementary projects plus the new projects in 2024 is not a tea party. It requires commitment, and it requires dedication, which we are doing.
“We work on Saturday, Sundays, and Public Holidays, and somebody will say we are giving attention to less priority issues without mentioning those less priority issues that we are giving attention to.”
