Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has responded to allegations by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that he is showing bias in the allocation of federal road projects, insisting he would rather “reason” with the former Edo State governor than engage in a public debate.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, had on Thursday accused the minister of being selective in the distribution of road construction projects, lamenting the poor state of major highways linking Benin, Warri, Asaba, Auchi and Okene.
According to the senator, the roads have become nearly impassable, prompting him to urge the Senate to appeal to the minister to adopt a more balanced and national approach in executing infrastructure projects.
Reacting during an inspection of a road project on Friday, Umahi dismissed the criticism, noting that one of the roads Oshiomhole referenced was awarded by the Federal Government in 2018 while the senator was still serving as Governor of Edo State.
“I cannot debate with Oshiomhole; I can only reason with him,” Umahi said.
“He is my senior in governance and in the legislature. We served together when I was a deputy governor and he was a governor.”
The minister argued that rather than criticising the current administration, Oshiomhole should have contributed to improving the federal road while he was governor.
“The road he is talking about—from Lokoja to Benin and Warri—was awarded in 2018 when he was still governor. I expected him to have done part of that federal road. When I was governor, I undertook several federal road projects without complaining,” Umahi stated.
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