…Umahi to union/staff: unity is the key to rescue Nigeria from collapse
By Hillary Asemota
The Ministry of Works has stated unequivocally against the running rumour that Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi was locked out of office by staff.
In what some papers reported as a disquiet at the Ministry’s Headquarters on Thursday morning around 10 am following the late arrival of staff to their duty posts which caused some disquiet at the Ministry’s Headquarters.
Reacting to the development, the Director of Press and Public Affairs Mrs. Blessing Lere Adam, in a statement to correct the insinuation insisted that the Minister was never locked up in his office.
In a meeting which ensued between the Minister, the ministry’s union chairperson, Mr. Williams Kuti, and the Permanent Secretary and Management Staff, they admitted that the Minister had started on a sound and transformative step to take Nigeria to the next level.
According to them, the former Governor of Ebonyi State has identified the needs of Nigerians and in the quest for good and durable roads and bridges had taken a personal inspection tour of most of the road infrastructure crisscrossing the South-west, South-east, South-south and part of the North-central and North-west geo political zones of the country.
Recall that the Minister also in his magnanimity and goodwill for Nigerians reached out to staff by means of personal welfare during the just celebrated Muslim festival.
While addressing them, Umahi, said: “We all have to work in unity to be able to deliver Nigeria our dear country from total collapse.”
The Director, added: “The Minister, in all fairness, had attempted to bring sanity and orderliness to the service by ensuring that services are rendered as at when due to grow the Nigerian economy to everyone’s benefit.
“Therefore, an agreement was reached that to imbibe the spirit of discipline, daily work activities in the Federal Ministry of Works now begins at 9a.m, Mondays to Fridays for all staff while the closing hour shall be 4 p.m.
However, the union chairman alongside other staff during the meeting requested for more staff buses to ease their movement to and from their locations.
The Minister recalled that the ongoing paradigm in the road sector is aimed at ensuring that things are done right and also that international best practices are respected by all contractors in the construction of all Nigerian roads.
According to him, this must be done through proper discipline, and respect of the rule of law and contract agreement, explaining that we can be sure to see roads that can last more than 7 years but rather roads that will last up to 50 years and that is when the concrete technology method of building our roads is put to use.
Minister assured that the introduction of concrete technology will create more jobs for Nigerian engineers, while increasing the use of local content which are in abundance in Nigeria rather than putting more pressure on the Nigerian naira for the importation of bitumen and asphalt for road construction.
Umahi, promised to go to other zones within the next 3weeks and see first-hand the problems Nigerians are facing on the road.
“It was a fruitful meeting which ended with the Minister, being given 3 Gbosas for playing the role of a true Father to the staff.” the Director, said.
