House Committee Chairman Blasts Works Minister: Calls Him ‘Absolute Failure’ in Road Maintenance Efforts
In a scathing attack on the Works Minister, David Umahi, Engr. Remi Oseni, House Committee Chairman on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), did not mince words during a committee meeting to investigate the Minister’s performance.
Oseni slammed Umahi for his failure to address the deplorable state of infrastructure across the country, accusing him of focusing on less important issues and neglecting the critical issue of road maintenance. He criticized Umahi for constantly citing lack of resources as an excuse for his failures, stating that even with the allocated budget of 300 billion naira, the Minister has not shown any progress in fixing the nation’s roads.
The Chairman expressed his frustration at Umahi’s tendency to prioritize awarding road projects over actually completing them, pointing out that such actions only exacerbate the problem. Oseni emphasized that the Minister’s lack of concrete plans for addressing the road infrastructure crisis in Nigeria is a clear indication of his incompetence.
In a final blow, Oseni declared Umahi as an “absolute failure” as Works Minister, questioning the basis for his continued tenure in office. The scathing remarks made during the committee meeting highlight the growing dissatisfaction with the Minister’s performance and raise serious concerns about the state of the nation’s infrastructure under his leadership.
“You are not here to come and tell us what we already know in the area of resources. So if you are telling us the reason why you have failed in fixing our infrastructure is because of resources don’t let me take you up there, because you concentrated your energy as a minister on less priority issues. Don’t discuss resources I say it again, with all the road that we have across the country looking like that.
“If you are addressing these roads existing roads with all the resources that you have sir, honorable minister, we will not be where we are. So don’t discuss resources I say it again. you came here last year, you got 300 billion Naira budget supplementary approval. Don’t raise my emotion. I am worried that you are not concerned about finishing Nigerian roads. We are not here for business of whether you want to do the job or you don’t want to do the job.
“Stop telling us you are awarding roads. We don’t want you to be awarding roads that you are not ready to do. How can you be telling us that there is no resources. In less than one minute in everything that everybody has said, it’s a clue that you have no plans for us as a nation. I was wondering what was used as bench mark for your appraisal. You have been an absolute failure as Works Minister.” -Engr. Remi Oseni, blast
It is evident that Engr. Remi Oseni’s criticisms of the Works Minister reflect the frustrations of many Nigerians who have long awaited tangible improvements in the country’s road network. The call for accountability and effectiveness in addressing the critical issue of infrastructure maintenance is a pressing concern that cannot be ignored.