N248bn Ebonyi roads: Oluchukwu accuses Nwifuru, Umahi of failure, urges Tinubu to halt funding

A public affairs analyst, Paschal Oluchukwu, has urged the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt the proposed additional N248 billion funding for road infrastructure development in Ebonyi State.

He alleged that both the governor, Francis Nwifuru, and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had failed to meet the expectations of the people of the state.

Oluchukwu disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

His comments followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his campaign team’s visit to Ebonyi State for his re-election rally on Monday.

Vice President Kashim Shettima had pledged additional infrastructure funding for the state during the rally.

He noted that the projects include the dualisation of the Enugu–Abakaliki–Ogoja Road, improvements to the Onueke–Ezza corridor and the Okposi–Amasiri Road, among others.

However, reacting to the pledge, Oluchukwu said: “Whereas he is not opposed to road projects and other interventions of the Federal Government in the State, especially having suffered severe neglect like the rest of the South Eastern States under previous administrations, we have a deeply growing concern over the growing unaccountability in the utilization of funds by both the Governor who has failed to complete any single project in nearly 4 years in office and the loquacious Minister of Works, David Umahi who has also been accused of lack of openness and transparency in the execution of federal projects across the Nigerian State.”

He further disputed claims made by the governor and the minister at Monday’s rally, suggesting that the state was a hub of infrastructure projects.

According to him, Ebonyi State continues to suffer from inadequate infrastructure development despite claims by Nwifuru and Umahi about the projects executed in the state.