…Enugu lawyer commends Umahi’s foresight

An Enugu lawyer, Humphrey Nwodo has said that the attention being paid to the infrastructure in the southeast region has improved All Progressives Congress (APC) visibility and rating in the region.

Nwodo, therefore, congratulated the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi for his foresight, saying his attitude and passion to work has rebranded the APC’s image and that of President Bola Tinubu in the southeast.

Speaking to reporters in Enugu, he stated that virtually all infrastructure projects that directly impact the economy of the region are either being rehabilitated or marked for rehabilitation. He stated that there was much difference from what used to be the case of the region since Umahi became Minister.

“That is the active way to promote a party in power and the man behind the mask. President Tinubu came to power in 2023 with little or no reputation in the southeast region going by the number of votes he secured during the elections.

“That perception has changed in the past three years because of the level of projects that are ongoing in the southeast being executed under the Ministry of Works.

“Enugu – Onitsha highway had been a death trap with the Ugwuonyeama axis as a nightmare for commuters. Good and check that axis at the moment. The two lanes are not only working, but there are traffic lights that now illuminate the road and improve security at night. This was not the case until Umahi became Minister and provided the advise”, he said

He continued: “The Ninth Mile – Opi- Obollo- Makurdi highway is another test case of how a responsible government works. Life is fast returning to the area following ongoing reconstruction of the road. What is very remarkable is the fact the Minister is always around and has records of all the works at his fingertips.

“Call him at any time of the day, he will answer you and tell you the situation with every road in the region. The same thing is happening at the Enugu -Portharcourt highway; the Okigwe – Afikpo road and the super highway linking the country to Cameroon among others. These are critical roads that touch directly on the economy of the southeast. These roads have been neglected in the past. They count as part of the marginalisation the zone had complained about. Since they started receiving attention, the perceptions of the people about the APC have changed.”

Nwodo said that he was convinced that benefits accruing from these projects would positively impact President Tinubu during next year’s elections, just as he congratulated the Minister for identifying and believing that “restoring these projects would change certain believes in the southeast region”.

He said the name of the President and that of Umahi would be written in gold when these projects are completed and operational in the region.