The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, Tuesday, assured Nigerians that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu feels their pains, adding that he is working day and night to address the current economic challenges facing the nation.
Umahi, who stated this at an award ceremony organised for him by the staff of the ministry in Abuja, also cautioned Nigerians against blaming the president over the current economic hardship facing the country.
“We need to stop blaming the president or past presidents because the problem of this country is the problem of all of us. We all must show patriotism and commitment towards contributing our quota in our efforts to address problems facing us,” he said
Umahi lauded Tinubu for the opportunity given him to serve as minister, noting that he had demonstrated uncommon belief in him and the ministry’s capacity leading to the huge resources committed towards transforming the road sector in the country.
“Our agenda for the road sector infrastructure development is to give to Nigerians good and quality road network which will ultimately facilitate robust economic development all across the country’’, the minister said.´
While praising Tinubu for the deployment of the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Yakubu Kofarmata to the ministry, he remarked that the permanent secretary has a unique leadership style.
Umahi, however, charged the staff to be part of the efforts to realise the mandate of the ministry under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration and announced the creation of a Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Committee which would periodically monitor contractors’ performance.
He also urged them to shun bribery from contractors, observing that “they want to bribe us with peanuts and thereafter cat away multi-billion from the country”
On the welfare of staff, the minister promised to upscale interventions in matters affecting general welfare, training, re-training as well as provision of staff buses; promising that the construction of a flyover in Mabushi would commence this month of March.
He also directed the establishment of a seed fund by management to be used to address the financial challenges being faced by staff; to take off by March.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Kofarmata thanked Tinubu for the appointment of Umahi as the minister for Works, noting that it is a square peg in a square hole.
