Minister of Works Dave Umahi told an audience in Benin City on Thursday that it is not yet the Igbo’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president, while affirming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should remain in office.
Speaking at the “Operation Rescue Benin‑Asaba Road” event, Umahi rejected a comment he described as “charlatan” that the Igbo could never become president, saying, “We will one day become president, but it is not yet our turn; it is the turn of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Umahead also dismissed suggestions that former Anambra State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi was superior to him, arguing there is no area—family background, intellectual capacity, record of service or contributions to the South‑East—where Obi outshines him. He called Obi “a lucky person” and defended members of the Tinubu administration against criticism.
Responding to remarks by an individual identified as Awuzi, Umahi said no reasonable person would insult the former governor and warned that condemning others brings judgment upon the condemner, adding, “When you say you are holier than angels, we have to analyse to know if it is true.”
During the same event, Umahi announced that the federal government had begun temporary intervention on the 136‑kilometre Benin‑Asaba road, and disclosed that President Tinubu had ordered the entire dual‑carriageway to be redesigned with reinforced concrete pavement. He also said immediate work would start on the Benin Bypass.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
