NANS confers Umahi with patron, hails infrastructure drive

By Onu Okorie

National Association of Nigerian Students NANS has conferred the Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, with the title of Patron of the association, formally inducting him into its fold in recognition of his contributions to infrastructure development across the country.
The ceremonial induction, led by the NANS President, Dist. Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, took place at the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters in Abuja.
The students described Umahi as one of the standout members of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, particularly for his stewardship of major road projects across the country.
According to NANS, quality road infrastructure has a direct impact on students and young Nigerians, affecting their ability to attend classes, sit examinations, undertake internships and pursue employment opportunities.
The association cited major projects including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna-Minna corridor, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as evidence of the Federal Government’s infrastructure development drive.
NANS said it had reviewed project reports from the Ministry of Works covering the period from May 2023 to May 2026 and planned to embark on nationwide inspection tours to assess completed projects firsthand.
Speaking at the event, Umahi told the students that Nigeria’s economic outlook was improving, saying the country’s Gross Domestic Product growth had overtaken population growth.
“I was enthused to find out that our GDP is growing more than our population. That means we have a future,” Umahi said.
The minister urged Nigerian youths to assess the Tinubu administration based on its performance and policies rather than political rhetoric.
Responding to claims that President Tinubu was becoming tired, Umahi said the administration remained active across various sectors and challenged critics to provide practical alternatives rather than engage in blanket criticism.
He also called on students and young Nigerians to take a definite position on national issues.
“This is the time to take sides in our national affairs. It is time to take a stand,” he said.
Umahi further urged students to support President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election if they believed the administration’s policies were delivering positive results.
Umahi lists projects funded by subsidy savings
The minister also highlighted several road projects which, he said, demonstrated how resources released following the removal of fuel subsidy were being deployed to infrastructure development.
He cited the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, describing it as a 375-kilometre route, with the dual-carriageway component extending to 750 kilometres. According to him, more than N200 billion had been spent on the project, with 480 kilometres of dual carriageway completed.
He put the combined cost of the two contracts at N752 billion, saying more than 80 per cent of the funds had been disbursed and completion was targeted for November.
Umahi also cited the Bodo-Bonny Island Road, a N280 billion, 39.7-kilometre project which he said had been completed.
According to him, the road has provided residents of Bonny Island with direct road access to the mainland for the first time, reducing their dependence on potentially dangerous sea transportation.
Other projects mentioned by the minister included the Sokoto-Zamfara-Zaria corridor and the Benue-Ninth Mile road.
Umahi said the Federal Government had completed 118 kilometres of concrete pavement within 30 months, describing the pace of delivery as unprecedented.
Southeast, coastal highway projects
The minister, who is from the Southeast, said the Tinubu administration had deliberately increased infrastructure investment in the region.
He cited the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways as examples of major projects receiving attention from the Federal Government.
Umahi also defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against criticisms surrounding the project, saying more than half of the road was already under construction.
He disclosed that President Tinubu had approved the reconstruction of the 401-kilometre Lokoja-Benin-Warri corridor.
He added that the Northeast’s Fourth Legacy Road project had also been extended by approximately 400 kilometres to reach Maiduguri.
Ministry opens books to scrutiny
On transparency and accountability, Umahi said the Ministry of Works had opened its records to scrutiny.
He disclosed that the ministry had invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC to review its projects and had also written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to conduct its own examination.
“We have nothing to hide in this administration,” the minister said.
Umahi maintained that where there were failures in government, the officials responsible for the affected sectors should be held accountable rather than President Tinubu personally.
On the cost of living, he pointed to what he described as a decline in food prices as another indication of improvement in the economy.
He said the price of a 50-kilogramme bag of rice, which he said previously sold for as much as N100,000, had fallen to about N58,000.
NANS praises Umahi’s record
Speaking on the decision to honour the minister, NANS President Afeez said the association’s recognition of Umahi was based on his record of infrastructure delivery.
Afeez said Umahi’s legacy should ultimately be measured by the projects he delivered and their impact on Nigerians, rather than the political office he currently occupies.
The minister, in turn, invited NANS to organise a nationwide forum at which students would have the opportunity to engage him and other government officials directly on issues affecting the country.
He also urged Nigerian students and young people to take an active role in protecting public infrastructure, stressing that government projects were public assets that required collective responsibility to preserve.