The Minister of Works, Sen David Umahi on Saturday made it clear that due to developmental strides of President Ahmed Tinubu throughout the country he will not only campaign for him but will also vote for him asking if voting President Ahmed Tinubu and not Obi is a crime.

 

Umahi stated this in Okigwe, Imo State, during an inspection of the 65-kilometre Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe Federal Road project, being executed under the Federal Government’s tax-credit scheme with Dangote Industries Limited as sponsor and Hi-Tech Construction as contractor.

 

He maintained that the southeast will vote massively for President Tinubu due to the numerous road projects and other projects going on in the region insisting that this is only President that have remembered southeast.

 

On the section of the road Umahi stated that federal government has commenced preparatory works to remove a 60-metre-high mountain obstructing a critical section of the road, saying that    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that the natural obstacle must give way in the interest of motorists and communities across the Southeast.

 

The minister said the mountainous terrain had historically constituted a major safety challenge for road users and was responsible for several fatal accidents along the corridor, stressing that the Tinubu administration was determined to eliminate the obstacle and deliver a safer and more efficient highway.

 

“This mountain, by the command of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must collapse for the people of South-East,” Umahi said.

 

He described the mountain section as one of the most technically demanding portions of the project, noting that its successful removal would represent a major infrastructure breakthrough and contribute significantly to reducing loss of lives on the route.

 

“This place is very challenging. We have a mountain that is over 60 metres high. If God helps us in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve this, this will be a major saving of lives for the people of South-East. This place has consumed many lives,” he said.

 

Umahi said work on the 65-kilometre road had recorded substantial progress, with more than 20 kilometres already completed, while commending the contractor for the quality of construction.

 

He particularly praised the concrete pavement being deployed, describing it as superior to what was obtainable on some other major Federal Government highway projects.

 

The minister maintained that the administration’s intervention in the Southeast should be assessed from the standpoint of tangible infrastructure delivery and economic impact, rather than political sentiments.

 

Earlier, the Project Controller, Engr. Maxwell Oko, said the Highway F112 project comprised 9.9 kilometres of dual carriageway and 55.55 kilometres of single carriageway.

 

Oko explained that the road was being delivered under the tax-credit arrangement, with Dangote Industries Limited as the sponsoring company and Hi-Tech Construction as the executing contractor.

 

According to him, the highway constitutes a major arterial route linking communities and adjoining Federal highways across Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, with significant implications for trade, transportation and regional integration.

 

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Hi-Tech Construction, Christopher Aucamp, said the contractor had commenced preparatory operations at the mountainous section in readiness for intensive excavation and earthworks.

 

“This is the mountain we’ve been talking about. This is the mountain where we have to do the realisation of the nine kilometres. As you can see, we are busy with progress on it,” Aucamp said.

 

He disclosed that three excavators would be deployed to accelerate the excavation and reshaping of the difficult terrain.

 

“We bring three excavators down so we can start demolishing the mountain and start filling the full areas to straighten the road out a little bit,” he added.

 

Aucamp further disclosed that the contractor was constructing a second bypass to facilitate safer movement for students and other road users while construction activities continued around the mountain section.

 

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Southeast, Barr. Chioma Nweze, commended the Federal Government for prioritising strategic road infrastructure in the region.

 

Nweze said the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe highway would strengthen connectivity, open up communities and markets, and stimulate commercial activities across the affected states.

 

She identified the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Abakaliki, Abakaliki Trans-Sahara and Onitsha-Owerri roads among other major Federal Government projects ongoing in the Southeast.

 

She said the projects underscored the Tinubu administration’s commitment to closing critical infrastructure gaps and integrating the Southeast more firmly into the national economic development framework.

 

The Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe highway is expected to provide a strategic transport link between Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, improve access to markets and institutions, and facilitate movement along adjoining interstate highways when completed.