The Federal Ministry of Works has dismissed calls for the removal of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, over the condition of federal highways, describing such demands as misleading and not reflective of ongoing developments across the country.
This followed a statement credited to a coalition of student leaders, published by some online platforms, in which the group accused the minister of incompetence and announced plans to mobilise nationwide protests over what it described as the poor state of federal roads.
Responding in a press statement issued on Tuesday, the Coordinator of Field Supervisors (South East) of the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Francis Nwaze, said while concerns about road safety were legitimate, the conclusions drawn by the student group ignored verifiable facts and current realities.
Nwaze said the present administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, within less than two years, embarked on what he described as an aggressive and unprecedented intervention on federal highways, addressing years of neglect inherited from previous governments.
“Beyond road construction, the President, HE Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Honourable Minister of Works, HE Sen. David Umahi, CON also deserve recognition for introducing critical security innovations tied to highway safety, including CCTV monitoring centres, solar-powered street lighting, improved road furniture, and coordinated security measures aimed at protecting lives and property along major corridors. These interventions directly address the very safety concerns being raised,” he stated.
According to him, contractors had been remobilised to sites nationwide, failed road alignments redesigned, and major highways that had deteriorated significantly were currently undergoing reconstruction or rehabilitation across the six geopolitical zones.
He added that many major federal roads were already completed, while several others were at advanced stages of construction.
Beyond physical construction, Nwaze said the administration had also introduced security-related measures aimed at improving highway safety, including the deployment of CCTV monitoring centres, solar-powered street lighting, improved road furniture and coordinated security arrangements along major corridors.
“These interventions directly respond to safety concerns being raised by road users,” he said.
The ministry’s official further suggested that the student leaders behind the protest threat might either lack adequate information about ongoing projects or were deliberately promoting exaggerated narratives to discredit the minister.
Focusing on the South East, Nwaze cited the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, Onitsha–Owerri Road and the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway as examples of federal roads currently at advanced stages of completion, with visible improvements already reducing travel time and enhancing safety.
“In the South East alone, several critical federal roads are actively progressing. Notably are the roads mentioned in their statement, the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, Onitsha–Owerri Road, and the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway have all reached advanced stages of completion, with visible improvements already easing travel time, safety, and economic movement. These are not abandoned projects; they are active sites with measurable progress,” the statement added.
He said the projects mentioned were not abandoned, noting that work was actively ongoing at the sites.
Nwaze stressed that his comments were based on first-hand information, explaining that his role as coordinator involved tracking projects, monitoring contractors and submitting progress reports within the zone, while also interfacing with national project assessments.
He called for constructive engagement from advocacy groups, urging that public discourse on infrastructure development be guided by facts, fairness and responsibility.
According to him, the performance of the current administration would ultimately be assessed by the work delivered on the ground.
