Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has declared that Nigeria’s economy is now on a firmer footing, revealing that the country’s Gross Domestic Product is growing faster than its population, a milestone he says proves “we have a future.”
The statement came Monday during Umahi’s formal induction as Grand Patron of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Abuja, where student leaders praised him as “one of the finest public servants” in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Cabinet.
He said, “I was enthused to find out that our GDP is growing more than our population. That means we have a future,” Umahi told the students, urging them to look beyond political rhetoric and assess the administration’s policies objectively. He acknowledged that the macroeconomy is “just beginning to recover” but asked: “What was it like before the President took over? Everybody agrees that the macroeconomy is being fixed”. The minister also pointed to falling food prices, noting that a 50kg bag of rice had dropped from over ₦80,000 to about ₦58,000.
Addressing criticism over fuel subsidy removal, Umahi showcased major infrastructure projects across the country, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway – a ₦752 billion project with over 80% paid, and 480km of concrete pavement completed within 30 months, Bodo-Bonny Island Road – a ₦280 billion project now fully completed, ending deaths at sea for residents of the LNG-producing island, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway – over 50% under construction, which Umahi defended against critics, saying: “This is coming from the Niger Delta, where the oil comes from. That project will be completed.” Also Northeast Legacy Project – extended by 400km from Akwanga to Maiduguri.
Furthermore, Umahi highlighted unprecedented stability in the education sector: “For the first time, students never went on strike. Never. Look at the stability of Nigeria. That has never happened throughout the history of this country”. He credited the administration’s reforms for creating an environment conducive to uninterrupted learning. In a direct challenge to students, Umahi said: “If you say that what we are doing is good, then we have to take a stand to vote for the President in the coming election. Let him finish. Let him take back our country.”
He urged Nigerians to demand concrete alternatives from critics: “If you say the President is not doing well, what is your alternative? Cheap talk will not solve our problems”. The minister stressed transparency, noting that the Ministry has opened its projects to scrutiny by the ICPC and EFCC. “We have nothing to hide in this administration.”
Umahi expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for intentionally developing the Southeast through projects like the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways. If I were not a minister from the Southeast, we would not have been able to get the projects we have secured. It is intentional on the part of Mr. PRESIDENT. The minister challenged NANS to organise student engagements across geopolitical zones where he could directly answer questions from young Nigerians.
“Organise it and let me come. Move students from across the zone to a central point where we can talk to them and address their concerns.”
He concluded: “The darkest part of the night is an hour before dawn. The worst is over.”