Oshiomhole accuses Umahi of bias in road projects

By Efe Onodjae

Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of alleged bias in the allocation of funds for federal road projects, arguing that the rehabilitation of existing roads should take priority over the construction of new ones.

Oshiomhole made the allegation during a podcast interview shared on social media, revisiting his disagreement with Umahi over the minister’s budget proposals and management of federal road projects.

The senator said his criticism of the minister during a National Assembly budget hearing was part of his legislative responsibility to scrutinise government spending and ensure that public funds were allocated in line with national priorities.

According to him, he questioned the rationale for allocating funds to new road projects when several existing federal roads across the country had deteriorated and required urgent repairs.

Oshiomhole argued that the ministry should prioritise rehabilitating roads that had become impassable before embarking on additional projects.

“As a manager, you do not keep on building new houses when you cannot maintain the houses you already have. It is common sense,” he said.

The former governor maintained that his intervention was not politically motivated, despite his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his relationship with President Bola Tinubu.

He accused Umahi of invoking the President’s name rather than directly addressing the concerns raised during the budget hearing.

“Ministers should not drop his name to cover up their own mess,” Oshiomhole said, arguing that the President could not be expected to micromanage every ministry.

He maintained that the responsibility for assessing road conditions, identifying priorities and proposing appropriate budgetary allocations rested with the Minister of Works.

Oshiomhole also questioned the minister’s proposal to present additional road projects to the Federal Executive Council, arguing that available resources should first be channelled towards repairing existing roads.

The senator further questioned the circumstances surrounding the appointment of contractors handling some of the projects, insisting that the ministry should take responsibility for the performance of contractors it engaged.

He noted that the Federal Government had established the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to maintain existing roads, stressing the need for effective coordination between the agency and the Ministry of Works.

Oshiomhole urged the minister to rely on reports from federal directors of works across the country’s geopolitical zones to assess road conditions and determine maintenance priorities, even when personal visits to every location were not immediately feasible.

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