Biafra Stands for Good Roads, Infrastructure, Inclusiveness — Umahi

Engr. David Umahi

By Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi on Wednesday said that good roads, justice, equitable distribution of the nation’s resources, political appointments, and inclusiveness at the federal level represent the true meaning of Biafra as defined by the people of the South-East, and not division.

The former Governor of Ebonyi State further noted that the region’s interests would be better secured through strategy, unity, and constructive engagement at the appropriate time.

Umahi made the assertion at his country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, while receiving various political, religious, and community groups who paid him a Christmas homage.
According to him, “If you ask me what the President has done for the South-East, I will tell you what he has done. We are talking about real projects, not social media sentiments.”
He listed some of the projects to include the Second Niger Bridge, the Enugu–Onitsha (Nnewi) Road, the Owerri–Aba Road, and other major highway projects across the region, describing them as tangible achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for the people of the South-East, alongside federal appointments.
“So, the road to Onitsha is Biafra. The Second Niger Bridge is Biafra. Appointments and inclusivity in the affairs of the nation are Biafra. These are the Biafra we are looking for — not the Biafra of sentiments or social media,” he stated.
The minister noted that the South-East has no reason to be deceived in forthcoming elections, stressing that the long-standing marginalization of the region by previous governments has been addressed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Today, we got all these without voting for Mr. President in 2023; how much more when we all vote for him in 2027?” he stressed.
Umahi, who also called on Ndigbo to support the President’s re-election bid in 2027, categorically stated that the region cannot win the presidency through sentiments or hate, but through well-thought-out strategies.
“We can never win the presidency by sentiments or by dishing out hate. We can only win through strategies.
“When it is our time, our industrious sons and daughters shall gather, and I will be there to lead them.
“But for today, it is the turn of President Tinubu, and this time around, we will not waste our votes again. We will vote wisely because Ndigbo have been included,” he said.
The minister, who noted that Nigeria is built on a tripod, warned against any action capable of weakening one leg of the nation.
He, however, called on Ndigbo across the country to obey the laws and respect the cultures of their host communities, urging them to remain humble, courageous, and law-abiding wherever they reside.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. Nobody should intimidate us, but we must also respect the culture and laws of wherever we find ourselves,” he added.