MIRIAM NNOLI 
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, on Monday, dismissed claims that the South East was neglected in road infrastructure development, describing it as false and misleading.
Dismissing the purported claims in a statement issued by the Ministry’s Director, Press and Public, Mohammed Ahmed, Umahi noted that the publication titled “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South East Missing from the Map?” was mischievous and deceptive.
The Minister also demanded the retraction of the statement immediately and insisted that President Bola Tinubu has been fair to all regions of the country, including the South East.
According to him, President Tinubu had revived 90 per cent of abandoned road projects, some dating back to 2013, and was still executing new ones without discrimination. He also said that four Legacy Projects were approved to cover all six geopolitical zones.
According to him, one of them, which runs from Cross River through Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa to Abuja, includes a significant portion in the South East, about 231.64 kilometres and is already awarded at a cost of N445.8bn.
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The minister further said that the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting approved the review of the corridor length to 231.64 km at the same contract sum.
He listed major projects ongoing in the South East to include the Second Niger Bridge Access Roads; Section 2A in Delta (N146 billion) and Section 2B in Anambra (N176 billion).
Umahi urged the people of the South East to support Tinubu, noting that his administration had shown fairness and love to the region. He also commended the South East governors for supporting the Federal Government and urged citizens to stand by them as they work for their second term in office.
He noted that one day, the South East will produce the President of Nigeria, but not in 2027. He reaffirmed his commitment to correcting any false claims meant to deceive the people.
