Works minister David Umahi says the ministry has submitted all ongoing and completed federal road projects to ICPC and EFCC for investigation to ensure transparency and accountability.
Mr Umahi stated this during an inspection tour of the Mararaba-Keffi road project on Thursday in Abuja. He praised President Bola Tinubu, noting that the transparency under his presidency was unprecedented. The minister said he personally wrote to the anti-corruption agencies, forwarding a comprehensive list of all projects executed by the ministry since Mr Tinubu assumed office.
“I love challenges. Let me tell the public that I wrote to ICPC, and we submitted all the president’s projects in the Ministry of Works from the day he assumed office. We asked them to verify these projects nationwide and take a decision. This is the first of its kind. I reported this publicly to the president at the Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday, and I am very happy doing it,” the minister said.
Mr Umahi, who added that he also sent the same list to the EFCC, however, said he was unsure whether the agency had deployed teams across all states. He said the ministry remained fully transparent and that he personally enjoyed the work because he valued diligence, quality delivery, and public satisfaction.
The minister praised Mr Tinubu for his swift intervention following what he described as an “unfortunate incident” on a road project in Nasarawa. He explained that the Nasarawa governor contacted him immediately after the incident, prompting him to brief the president within 24 hours, after which Mr Tinubu approved funding for the project.
“Within 24 hours, he released the money for this project. It is unprecedented,” Mr Umahi said.
Addressing concerns over outstanding payments to contractors, Mr Umahi confirmed that the president had set up a committee to review all debts owed by the works ministry.
He appealed to contractors to suspend protests, assuring them that payments would be made soon.
“Let me assure our contractors that the president recognises that you are being owed. He set up a committee to review all the debts. Please, no more protests. You will be paid before December 20,” Mr Umahi said.
Mr Umahi specifically mentioned China Harbour and two contractors handling the Keffi–Mararaba corridor, saying they had yet to receive payment. He, however, noted that funds for their work had been approved.
He commended CGC for its excellent performance, noting that the President had already released 100 per cent of its funds. Mr Umahi also praised local contractor JRB for delivering high-quality roadwork, saying the company performed better than some international firms.
(NAN)
