BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi has emerged winner of the Silverbird Group Extraordinary Personality of the Year award for transformative road projects across the country.
The award conferred on Umahi over the weekend at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, brought together top government officials, lawmakers, technocrats, and stakeholders in the works sector.
Organised by Silverbird Group, the attendees were drawn by a shared recognition of a minister whose tenure symbolises scale, speed, and ambition in Nigeria’s infrastructure drive.
The minister described the honour as a deserved recognition of visible performance and hard choices taken in the national interest.
The Minister of State (Works), Barr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, who represented Umahi said: "We cannot but register our sincere gratitude and appreciation for this award for identifying our own, the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for the works he has been doing in this country."
Goronyo informed that Umahi’s impact since assuming office has been defined by experience-driven leadership and the deployment of innovative construction technologies to solve long-standing infrastructure challenges.
"This man brought to bear lots of experience, skills, and innovative technologies in the road construction industry," he added.
Goronyo pointed to landmark achievements in road construction, anchored on four legacy projects that is currently reshaping national connectivity.
These include the 750km Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, 1,068km Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, Transahara corridor stretching from Calabar through Ebonyi and Benue to Abuja, and the 420km Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Borno corridor.
According to him, the projects, alongside accelerated roads and bridges construction across the six geopolitical zones, have redefined expectations of what is possible within a single administration.
Goronyo was emphatic that the gains did not occur in isolation, attributing the momentum to the infrastructure-first posture of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
"We have to say that all these achievements are recorded because of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu," he said.
In a symbolic gesture that drew applause, he disclosed that the minister of works had directed that the award be dedicated to the President and to the collective effort behind the projects.
"The minister has mandated me to dedicate the award to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the support in prioritising infrastructure as key, and to dedicate the award also to our team, the Ministry of Works, the management, as well as the contractors," he added.
He stated that within the ministry, the recognition serves as renewed motivation rather than a moment of rest.
"For us in the Ministry of Works, it's another feather for us to continue to fly and work hard so that Nigeria will reach the desires and aspirations of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu."
The Silverbird Group noted that since Umahi took charge as Minister of Works, the ministry is currently managing 2,065 ongoing projects across the country.
It was also observed that his mission has remained clear and consistent: fix existing roads, building new ones, and ensuring that they stand the test of time. According to them, the scale and intent of the legacy projects alone speak volumes about his leadership.
This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works on Media, Francis Nwaze in Abuja.
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