By Becky Momodu
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has been honoured by De Pinnacle Club International for his contributions to infrastructure development and public service, with the organisation recognising his role in the ongoing transformation of roads and major projects across the Southeast.
Umahi received the Award of Excellence in Public Service and Infrastructural Transformation during the 10th anniversary celebration of De Pinnacle Club International, held on Sunday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The award recognised the minister’s commitment to improving Nigeria’s infrastructure through accelerated execution of federal highway projects, durable concrete road technology and stronger project accountability under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking after receiving the honour, Umahi urged Nigerians, particularly those from the Southeast, to acknowledge the infrastructure projects being delivered across the region, saying the developments should be appreciated irrespective of political differences.
“We shouldn’t live in denial. We have to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; even God Almighty appreciates gratitude. It doesn’t stop us from asking for more,” Umahi said.
The minister pointed to several major projects in the Southeast, including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Eke-Obinagu Flyover, New Artisan Bridge, Second Niger Bridge access roads and Enugu-Abakaliki Road.
He said the ongoing work on the access roads to the Second Niger Bridge was particularly important to unlocking the full economic benefits of the landmark bridge.
“We had the Second Niger Bridge fully completed before President Tinubu came into office, but the means of fully utilising the bridge, which is the access roads, was bad. So we are now building the access roads,” he said.
Umahi disclosed that the Anambra section of the access road had reached about 40 per cent completion, while the Asaba axis was about 35 per cent complete.
He also highlighted the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway and other federal interventions as part of the broader infrastructure programme being implemented across the country.
The minister dedicated the award to President Tinubu and the engineers, contractors and other professionals working on infrastructure projects across Nigeria.
Umahi also commended De Pinnacle Club International for its contributions to the development of the Southeast, particularly through youth empowerment, healthcare interventions and community development.
“I have seen some of the things you do, helping young men and women from the Southeast establish themselves, building hospitals, and that is what humanity is all about,” he said.
The 10th anniversary celebration, themed “A Decade of Excellence, Legacy and Impact,” was organised under the leadership of Chief Sir David Nwosu and attracted prominent Nigerians from politics, business, entrepreneurship and professional practice.
Among those in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; businessman Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana; Chief Sir Kenneth Ifekudu, OFR; Amb. Elijah Onyeagba; and Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Okorie.
In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the club for sustaining a decade of unity, philanthropy and socio-economic contributions, stressing that government could not single-handedly drive national development.
He said the interventions of organisations such as De Pinnacle Club in infrastructure, scholarships and economic empowerment represented an important contribution to national development.
The award ceremony formed a major highlight of the club’s 10th anniversary celebration.
