Television Nigerian

According to Sen. David Umahi, the Works Minister, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is providing road and bridge infrastructure development in the South East area in a fair and equitable manner.

As the Minister of Works, Engr. Umahi revealed in a statement he personally signed that he had been aware of a “wrong and misleading” remark posted on social media by Mr. Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen) with the description, “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South-East missing from the map?”

“Some people have closed their eyes over the great and selfless infrastructure development President Tinubu is doing all over the nation,” the Minister said, providing more context for the accomplishments of the Tinubu administration in the region.

“I understand that politics is now in the air, and some people have chosen to deceive gullible members of the public to look good before their people as one fighting for them, and close both eyes, pretentiously, over the great and selfless infrastructure development Mr. President is doing all over the nation,” the statement reads.

“In order for Nigerians to recognize the amazing work that Mr. President is doing in every region, regardless of whether they voted for him or not, I have instructed all Ministry of Works’ Zonal Directors to return to locations in each of the six geopolitical zones throughout the nation and gather all inherited but ongoing projects as well as all new ones.

“Only those who open their eyes will see the light of change in Nigeria, and Mr. President is using equitable infrastructure distribution to bring Nigerians back together and give them hope again.”

“Mr. President has four Legacy Projects, and they cover the six geopolitical zones,” the Minister stated in response to this false information for the record. “The South East zone is well captured within the Third Legacy project spanning Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-FCT, totaling 465km x 2 with South East covering 231.64km x 2 and 231.64km x 1 for ₦445.8 billion, already awarded and work is underway.”

“The President has already made a payment of 108 billion naira. On July 31, 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) reviewed the corridor, reducing its size from 118 km x 1 to 231.64 km x 1 for ₦445.8 billion.

In order to mislead and incite Nigerians, this dishonest writer purposefully changed the story of my press briefing after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the Trans Sahara Section 1 (the border between Ebonyi State and Benue State)—123.64 km at ₦445.8 billion—to refer to it as the OYO-BENUE BORDER ROAD.

“Even if he doesn’t apologize, I insist that he promptly fix the facts. When President Tinubu made the decision to provide the South East with the same level of road development as other zones, where was the author? Ninety percent of projects that had been put on hold during his administration—some of which had been awarded as early as 2013—were brought back to life and are currently underway.

“Where is the appreciation for the massive ongoing work on the 2nd Niger Bridge Access Roads, 2A, in Delta State, which is valued at ₦146 billion, and 2B, in Anambra State, which is valued at ₦176 billion? The Enugu-Onitsha Road is 208 kilometers long (MTN Tax Credit is valued at ₦202 billion, and CBC (Nig.) Limited is completing the remaining section at ₦150 billion, of which ₦45 billion was released last week), the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in four sections, the Enugu-Abakaliki, Afikpo-Abia-Imo, Onitsha-Owerri-Aba, Aba-Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia to Ikot Ekpene roads, etc.

Because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has shown love and justice to the people of the South East, I ask that everyone stand up for him. We can’t be tricked again. To strengthen this partnership, Mr. President has to receive up to 90% of the votes from the South East. Enough of the South East’s ignorant darkening council.

“We have to get up and educate our people. We must stay away from the politics of hate, disinformation, and feelings if we wish to be president. With God’s help, we will eventually get support from other zones. Support is required for Mr. President to finish his eight-year term, which benefits all regions. We will be the best one day, but not in 2027.

However, the Minister pledged to always oppose any scheme to mislead the public, stating, “We are known for hard work and love, not hate.”

“I applaud the South Eastern Governors, our leaders, for their assistance and the outstanding work they are doing for our people. I implore our citizens to vote for them and our beloved President to serve a second term in office. We will never be duped again.

Former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has come under fire from former House of Representatives member Hon. Bamidele Faparusi for allegedly accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of favoring Southern Nigeria in the projects his administration was carrying out.

Faparusi, an All Progressives Congress chieftain, punctuated the assertion by asserting that the North was given significantly more preference under President Tinubu’s administration when it came to project implementation, even more so than the Southwest, where a major federal road connecting the two regions is currently in appalling condition.

At a Friday event, the former governor of Kano State and leader of the New Nigerian Peoples Party claimed that President Tinubu’s initiatives favored the southern region of the country over the northern one, a claim that sparked outrage across the country.

Faparusi said in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday that while the entire Southwest federal roads, aside from the Ibadan-Lagos Highway, are interspersed with craters and gorges, numerous road projects, including the Kaduna-Abuja, Katsina-Kano, Sokoto-Katsina, and Sokoto-Badagry super highways, are being undertaken throughout the North.

While not defending a president who is biased against any part of the nation, Faparusi explained that it was clear to all Nigerians that during his eight years in office, the late President Muhammadu Buhari gave preference to the North in appointments and projects.

The former senator urged the Tinubu administration to take notice of the terrible condition of the federal roads in the Southwest, particularly in Ekiti State, where all 12 of them had collapsed and turned into driving boot traps.

His Excellency Rabiu Kwankwaso ought to be aware that under President Tinubu’s administration, the North is receiving a greater share of project attention.

Read Also: APC Accuses El-Rufai, Atiku of Plotting to End Power Rotation

“There is ample evidence that the major highways in the Southwest, including Ado-Akure, Lagos-Abeokuta, Ekiti-Lokoja, Ibadan-Akure highway, Osogbo-Ibadan, Ibadan-Abeokuta, and many others, are currently impassable for drivers.”

He requested Kwankwaso to refute the president’s stance on his claim and questioned the federal government’s projects in each geopolitical arena to support his claim.

To persuade Nigerians that his assertion was genuine and honest, the APC Chieftain threw down the gauntlet to Kwankwaso: provide reliable data.

Faparusi continued by stating that President Tinubu’s political career had been free of unjustified ethnicity and that his cabinet, which included members from different ethnic backgrounds, was dubbed a “mini Nigeria” while he was the governor of Lagos State.

The former Federal legislator claimed that Kwankwaso made the remark in order to cheaply win over Northern voters, especially since he mistakenly believes he is the political leader of the North following President Muhammadu Buhari’s death.

This statement was filled with hatred, claiming that President Tinubu’s projects favor the South. Unless Rabiu Kwankwaso could refute the facts, the projects presented by the president and the minister of works were sufficient to cut through everything the former governor of Kano State had to say.

I wish to warn the NNPP leader to cease acting carelessly since, as a result of President Buhari’s passing, he has mistakenly begun to pose as the political leader of the North.

“If you aspire to be a leader, you should be accountable, able to bring people together, and refrain from causing division with inflammatory remarks.

His Excellency Rabiu Kwankwaso ought to be aware of his desperate attempts to become President of Nigeria, not only the Northern extraction.

As governor of Lagos State, President Tinubu recruited members of his government from a wide range of ethnic origins. He demonstrated his Pan-Nigerian identity. Even though he did not act in such a manner as a governor, how can he now become an ethnically biased president? Faparusi inquired.

According to Faparusi, the majority of the well-known and outspoken Northern detractors have never charged President Tinubu of favoring the South in the execution of projects; instead, their main grievance has always been that the withdrawal of fuel subsidies has hurt that region of the country more than the South.

Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State; Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and their supporters in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have come under fire from the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their purported efforts to undermine the presidential rotational principle, which is intended to foster national unity and cohesion.

At a meeting in Sokoto on Saturday, August 2, 2025, the APC responded to El-Rufai’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration as inept, clannish, and unworthy of a second term by stating that Atiku and El-Rufai pose a direct and present threat to Nigeria’s unity, peace, and advancement.

“It is now evident to all Nigerians that El-Rufai and his associates in ADC are on a mission to upend the presidential rotational principle designed to promote national unity and cohesion in the country by imposing Atiku as the ADC presidential candidate in the middle of a Southern presidency rotation,” the APC said in a statement released by Felix Morka, its national publicity secretary.

“The PDP’s virtual annihilation was a direct outcome of Atiku’s self-centered and stubborn disregard for the rotation concept during the 2023 presidential primary contest.

Like Atiku did to the PDP, El-Rufai and Atiku wish to do the same to Nigeria. The unity, peace, and advancement of Nigeria are clearly and immediately threatened by El-Rufai, Atiku, and the hijacked ADC.

El-Rufai has been in a political tailspin since his unsuccessful attempt to become a minister, according to the APC, which also argued that a thorough investigation is necessary to understand how quickly he fell from power to become the political clown he is today.

At a meeting in Sokoto on Saturday, August 2, 2025, he attacked President Bola Tinubu’s administration as inept, clannish, and undeserving of a second term. The party noted that this is just another outburst from a waspish politician.

The most bewildered, ignorant, clumsy, and pathetic opposition politicians our nation has ever seen are El-Rufai and his associates in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Their massive ego, mad entitlement mindset, obscene desperation, and predatory presidential dreams are the only things they offer to the political table.

Beyond flimsy headline attacks against the current administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC), El-Rufai and his associates have failed to present—and, to be honest, are unable to present—policy recommendations that could be more successful than those currently being carried out by the Tinubu administration.

Given the gravity and urgency of the nation’s economic problems, all three of the main candidates for president in 2023 ran on platforms calling for the elimination of fuel subsidies and the unification of several foreign exchange regimes.

President Tinubu quickly carried out the policy changes he had promised after winning the election and taking office.

“It appears that Atiku and Obi renounced their policy reform stances after their humiliating electoral defeat in order to defend their shameless participation at the table of hypocrisy and their insults directed at President Tinubu and the APC for carrying out reform policies they also pledged to Nigerians.”

“Why haven’t they presented policy proposals to restore fuel subsidies as they were and return the country to the ruinous era of fixing naira’s value and operating multiple foreign exchange regimes that fed the greedy and insatiable appetite of people like El-Rufai, Atiku, Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi for decades?” the party added, “if El-Rufai and his allies detest the administration’s policy reforms as much as they claim.”

Additionally, to explain to Nigerians how they would pay for the enormous deficit that would ensue, which would cause the economy to collapse catastrophically.

Read Also: Aviation Experts Fault N712bn Budget for Airport Upgrades

El-Rufai’s assertions are both naughty and unfounded. El-Rufai’s claim of “poor governance and failed leadership” is unfounded given our economy’s steady recovery and other evidence of verifiable progress in every sector, such as the ongoing revolution in agriculture, the high-performing stock exchange market, improved power generation and transmission, increased oil production at nearly 1.8 million barrels per day, consistent trade surpluses, unprecedented infrastructure development—420 roads and bridges are under construction—strategic retooling of our military capabilities with 49 advanced aircraft, an unprecedented NELFUND for students, rapidly declining inflation and rising consumer confidence, and more.

El-Rufai’s accusation of clannishness against the government, according to the APC, cannot be justified by his rejection as a minister.

Only someone who arrogantly conflates his own self-interest with the interests of a whole ethnic nationality can make such a ludicrous assertion.

Without a doubt, one of the most patriotic and detribalized Nigerians living is President Tinubu. Contrary to what El-Rufai wants Nigerians to think, no tribe, ethnic group, or religious faith has been marginalized.

El-Rufai is the epitome of poor governance and incompetent leadership, the party said, “for a former governor who left a sordid legacy of obnoxious marginalization of ethnic and religious minorities in Southern Kaduna, who sponsored sectarian violence and weaponized demolitions against innocent citizens, and who hung a debt profile of N284 billion on tax payers, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO)”.

“Nigeria is witnessing an era of visionary and transformational leadership under President Bola Tinubu,” the APC remarked in praising the Tinubu administration.

Our country has been radically repositioned for consistent growth and advancement thanks to the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We have no doubt that Nigerians will continue to support our wonderful party and extend President Tinubu’s term in 2027, building on what appears to be the most remarkable first-term accomplishment of any president in our country’s history.”

Reuben Abati, a Nigerian journalist, has stated that the idea of a one-term government advocated by Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and other opposition coalition members will be useless.
According to reports, Abati said this on Monday, August 4, 2025, during an appearance on the Arise TV morning show.

According to the media personality, any politician who promises a single term is demonstrating desperation since it will not work.

Read Also: Yilwatda Has Longstanding Leadership Track Record – Oshiomhole Asserts

The former presidential adviser believes Northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will reject the idea of an Igbo president because Nigeria’s civil conflict has not ended.

He stated, “Any politician who comes to you and says he would only serve one term is desperate. It won’t work. All of this spiel about serving food, carrying dishes, and acting boyish at parties that could have been better arranged by event organizers is a symptom of desperation. It does not work. It’ll never work.

“The second difficulty is that you stated that the North will support this one-term strategy. No! The North will not because the civil conflict in this country has never been resolved. I don’t believe that Northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will suddenly embrace the notion of an Igbo president. There are contradictions in our country that have not been resolved.”

Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state, is the senator from the Edo North Senatorial District who represents it in the National Assembly. He discusses a number of topics in this interview, including the rise of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman and the professor’s remarkable leadership abilities. Joy Anibogu provides

What do you think of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda becoming the new national chairman of the APC, considering that you were formerly the party’s national chairman?

It’s really exciting, in my opinion. As a former labor leader, I must first remind you that forced labor is prohibited by Nigerian labor law. Consequently, my close buddy, a former coworker, a former Kano State governor, and later the chairman of the APC, was forced to step down for personal reasons. A vacuum is also impossible. Additionally, I make an effort to be considerate of the sentiments of our party members and the Nigerian people due to the framework of our political system. In some cultures, the deputy chairman takes over in the event that the chairman departs. In fact, an ideal political system ought to be like that. But, since that position is restricted to a specific region of the nation, you must make sure that, in the event that one chairman departs, the variety of the political leadership is maintained. You try to find a person from that side to replace it. And doing so entails going above and beyond the typical requirement for a deputy to act while the substantive official is away. Abdullahi Ganduje, a former Kano State governor, resigned, creating the vacancy. Additionally, it was critical that the position be filled. People would say that Borno State has both the national chairman of the party and the vice president if it wasn’t filled right away. And before you realize it, it’s turning into a significant problem. Therefore, I believe that the party took the initiative to schedule an urgent meeting of the National Executive Council. Then he said, “Look, we need to fill this vacancy and do a lot of behind-the-scenes consultation to say, okay, we must see the vacancy, who, where does it come from, and how do we ensure the balance, taking into account all the geopolitical sensitivities in Nigeria.” In reality, however, people campaign before the ballots are cast in the best of democracies. The ones you see on TV and the ones you never see on TV are examples of those campaigns. That’s what you saw as the result. The fact that everyone is clapping and no one is yelling indicates that a thorough task needs to be completed. Then, the young man is ready for the position.

Is Yilwatda likely to be a lapdog for President Tinubu, as some have indicated, or do you think he has the kind of mettle and backbone to handle the turbulence of APC politics and the larger Nigerian political scene?

That is inaccurate. I’m not sure if anything you say about me is flattering. However, the issue is that the APC was unintentionally starting to create the impression that it was customary to serve as a governor, even if you were not in office, before becoming the party’s chairman. When we had the first convention, John Odigie Oyegun had only been a governor for two years. After Oyegun’s four-year tenure, I had also been a governor, and I entered through a convention before becoming the chairman. It just so happened that the first founding chairman, who laid a very solid foundation in very complex, complicated circumstances, was Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State. The celebration was then superficial. I was removed in the same way, and then another chairman—who was also a sitting governor—was appointed as a caretaker from Yobe State. Another former governor, Abdullahi, was then forced to resign when President Tinubu took office, and Ganduje took over—another former governor. In my opinion, it was crucial to reassure party members that there is no post that requires you to be a former governor, even for the sake of appearances. This gentleman’s selection, in my opinion, has effectively conveyed that point.

Regarding your layback, it is too soon to tell because you cannot get to know someone until you give them the car key. Looks can be deceiving. I mean, if you look at me, I appear really tiny. For me, how could you use the words that you do? Nobody can be bullied by me. I am quite little. I have a special experience. To cut right to the chase, though, I think the man is creating his own special experience. First and foremost, it is crucial that party members are informed that no position is designated for individuals who have held particular positions in the past. It is crucial that each party member believes they have the potential to lead the party as its national chairman or general CEO. I believe it was about two or three weeks from the time the previous chairman retired voluntarily and the time we had to have a new chairman in his place because there could not be a void. He might not have realized this was a possibility until a week ago. Perhaps for the first time, as the party’s top man, the president reminded us that the party is the one that creates the government by saying, “The national chairman of the party,” which I believe was intentional.

And now he’s seated next the nation’s most important citizen. That is undoubtedly a significant elevation. And you need time to get used to that. He is then invited to give a speech a few minutes later. He obviously did not prepare for this election, in contrast to me, who had to campaign, convince people to run against me, and so on. I have therefore, in a way, confronted the prospect that I could win the election. He lacked that. When I saw two people here, I said, “I hope it’s just a set-up,” just as you would be contacting me right now. I’m not sure what the problems are if you want me to argue with these gentlemen. As a result, I believe that the first is true—a national is a level-headed individual. Additionally, the gathering does require a patient person. Not only does he have the patience to listen, but people should feel comfortable to speak with him like they would with any other party leader because he is not a former governor. Not feeling, ah, that was a former governor. It has advantages of its own, I believe. If you ask me, I believe what I observed was his humility. It’s not a lazy one. Remember that he’s a professor. Since he had to earn a PhD in order to become a professor, he has not only lectured but also tutored and mentored younger people. He is so supported by his lineage. Therefore, he is not a new leader. In academics, he has taken the lead.