Federal Ministry of Works

Federal Ministry of Works (FMW)

... building the backbone for Development ...

Follow Us:

Welcome To Federal Ministry Of Works.

Minister Federal Ministry Of Works Engr. David Umahi.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Road Inspection.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Road Inspection.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Sep

2025

LATEST PRESS

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS ADOPTS FUNDING PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK ON NNPCL INHERITED TAX CREDIT PROJECTS NATIONWIDE.
-PROMOTES NIGERIA FIRST POLICY, SAYS CONTRACTS BELOW ₦20 BILLION TO BE DONE BY INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS.

As part of strategic plans towards sustainability in project funding and execution and in pursuance of the directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR on strategic and systematic funding of inherited NNPCL funded projects, the Federal Ministry of Works has adopted funding prioritization framework to ensure the continued execution of road projects hitherto funded by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme. The Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON made this disclosure during his inspection visit to the ongoing dualization of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt to Onne Junction in Rivers State handled by Messrs RCC Nig Ltd dated 9th September 2025.

Speaking during his visit, the Honourable Minister stated that the Federal Ministry of Works had compiled all the NNPCL inherited Tax Credit projects for strategic priority funding, noting that the most critical projects within the national economic corridor would receive precedence in the hierarchy of prioritization. “We are inspecting projects of federal government in Rivers State, and this particular one is the dualization of Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction by RCC. Recall that one carriageway was completed and commissioned, even though there are a few things we ordered afresh like the retaining wall and hanging drainage. For the second carriageway with some bridges and flyovers, work has started on it. Let me say that this is part of the NNPC Tax Credit that has been stopped in terms of funding by NNPC. But graciously, we have compiled all the NNPC inherited Tax Credit projects, and we presented as Ministry of Works to Mr. President. And Mr. President has graciously directed that none of such works should stop now. However, as Ministry, we are going to do prioritization of the projects and look at the most critical of these projects within the national economic corridor like this one. And we are going to put it forward for immediate funding because the President directed that none of such projects should stop now.”

He admonished contractors handling road projects under the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure speed, quality, compliance with specification and sustainability in project delivery and cautioned that the attention of the anti-graft agencies would be called to any case of violation of the regulations or terms and conditions set out under the contract of every project handled by the Federal Ministry of Works. He stated, “I have also noticed in some of the projects in Rivers State, and same with the Six Geo-Political zones, that contractors go ahead to put stone base and put binder course of asphalt, sometimes over 20 kilometres and leave the binder unprotected without putting wearing course. The binder is like a reinforcement to the road architecture. The wearing is the sealant that doesn't allow water to go beyond the surface. And so when you now put stone base, which has dust as designed, and you put binder, which is like a reinforcement, and you see that the composition of the binder asphalt has bigger stones, and it has holes, so the water penetrates. The moment it gets to the stone base, which has some dust, the road fails. It may technically look safe, but with time, it will definitely fail. And we've seen it in a number of roads we inspected. And what I've directed the Controller to do, and it's going to be nationwide, is that when you are putting binder and you have left it for more than two months, we are going to redo the certificate and remove all the binder and remove the stone base.” He directed that henceforth any project below the contract sum of ₦20 Billion would not be given to expatriate firms, and this he said is part of measures to promote the Nigeria First policy of Federal Government of Nigeria.

He commended the construction company handling the Eleme - Onne project, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) for the quality of work so far done and for working on the project despite the fact that NNPCL has stopped funding the project, but frowned at the slow pace of work which they said was affected by the rainy season. He restated that 15th December 2025 remains the agreed deadline for the project’s completion with no extension or Variation of Price (VoP) allowed. “On this project of Eleme Junction, the quality of the work is excellent. The pace of the work is totally not acceptable. And let me make it very, very clear to the contractor that this project can never be reviewed by a kobo. Neither can there be any variation of price or any other claims.” He expressed dismay over the destructive habit of packing heavy duty vehicles on the road by drivers and warned that forthwith punitive measures would be taken against such perpetrators. “Our roads are not designed to carry these heavy trailers that are parking on the road. And the press should help us on that. When I was coming yesterday all the way from Aba to here, I saw that the trailers are taking over the entire roads, putting their waste, destroying the pavements, and so on and so forth. So I'm going to write to our dear Governors to see what they could help us to do about it, and will also complain to the Inspector General of Police. Let us see what we can do about it. Mr. President is doing everything possible to right the wrongs in terms of road construction. We are doing quality roads now that are going to last from 50 to 100 years. But it's being destroyed by ourselves.”

Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in River State, Engr. Enwereama Tarilade (Mrs.) said the contractor handling Eleme- Onne road had completed the 15km Eket bound on the right carriageway and had moved to the left carriageway which is Port Harcourt bound for which 1km stretch had already been done on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP).

Projects visited by the Honourable Minister include, the rehabilitation of Enugu – Port Harcourt, Abia/Rivers State, contract No: 6252 being handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC), the upgrading of the 15km section of the East-West Road (Section 111A) from Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction) to Onne junction in Rivers State, contract No: 701 being handled by Messrs. RCC Nig. Ltd and multiple sections of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, including the sections handled by Arab Contractors and China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC).

Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji
Special Adviser (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works Works

Jun

2025

SEN. UMAHI FELICITATES WITH PRESIDENT TINUBU ON DEMOCRACY DAY, HAILS HIM AS A CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY. I am delighted to on behalf of the management of the Federal Ministry of Works, convey our profound felicitations to a champion of democracy and vision bearer of the Renewed Hope Agenda, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on this auspicious commemoration of the 26th anniversary of unbroken democracy in Nigeria, this 12th June 2025. 2. Your Excellency, we are enthused to celebrate this remarkable event courtesy of your rewarding leadership stewardship. Your struggle for the redemocratization of Nigeria and your emergence as the 5th democratically elected President of the 4th Republic are a clear indication of God’s unction in your enduring vision to achieve the purpose of our democratic journey which is economic prosperity and social justice. History will be kind to you for raising dispassionate standards and taking bold decisions that will return our country to the path of greatness in the continent of Africa. 3. In the works sector, you have made gratifying progress in deepening and fast-tracking the gains of democracy through your record-breaking accomplishments in road infrastructure, which are distributed equitably across the 6 Geo-Political Zones. You have continued to blaze the trail in the passionate delivery of enduring infrastructure, which is critical for the nation’s developmental progress,especially your initiative to expand the nation's road network and interconnect the major economic corridors through the four Renewed Hope Legacy Projects. Under Your Excellency, we savour a brand new era of regenerative democracy where the institutions and authorities work deliberately and collectively to achieve a nation of equal opportunities irrespective of tribe, religion, or social class. For this, we salute the leadership of the National Assembly and the Judiciary, which are the pillars of our democracy. 4. May God continue to prosper the aspirations of Your Excellency and grant you the grace and enablement to achieve all that you desire for the nation. Please accept the warmest congratulations, esteemed regards, and best wishes of the management and staff of the Federal Ministry of Works. Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, Honourable Minister of Works ...

Jun

2025

DRIVING NIGERIA’S FUTURE: CELEBRATING TWO YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY MILESTONE In a historic ceremony marking the successful completion of two years in office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Government officially commissioned the completed 30-kilometre portion of the 40.7- kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Phase 1, Section I and several others, as well as flagged off the construction of new roads, in the Southern region, symbolically. The event, which was held in Lagos on Saturday, 31st May 2025, was performed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. It brought together eminent government officials including; the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, GCON, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Borno, Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi and Edo States, Captains of Industry, Contractors, Traditional Rulers and other Stakeholders Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE; the Minister of State for Works, Bello M. Goronyo, Esq; Governors Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Senator Godswill Akpabio; and other distinguished guests. In his opening remarks, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR reflected on the bold strides made during his two years in office, under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a flagship project that encapsulates the commitment to infrastructure development as a driver of economic transformation. Despite initial skepticism, the project has become a beacon of progress, connecting nine coastal states of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. It is projected to contribute up to US$12 billion annually to Nigeria’s GDP within its first decade. The President emphasised that the project will ease transportation, reduce costs of travel and vehicle maintenance, as well as travel time, and drive growth across agriculture, industry, tourism, marine, and commerce while creating thousands of jobs and expanding opportunities for Nigerians. He described the progress as clear evidence of purposeful leadership delivering tangible results. Speaking, the Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. (Engr.) David Umahi, CON, praised the scope and significance of the project, describing the highway as a game-changer that not only connects nine littoral states but also unlocks vital trade and industrial corridors. He echoed the anticipated economic impact, reaffirming that the project will reduce transportation costs, shorten travel times, stimulate local economies, and create extensive employment opportunities for Nigerians. He appreciated the President for the vision and leadership, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for its consideration and approval and the Minister of Finance for providing the counterpart funding. The Minister of State for Works, Hon. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq. reaffirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to national development through the provision of critical infrastructure. He emphasised that enhancing connectivity and fostering regional integration remain vital pillars for sustainable prosperity. Delivering a Goodwill Message, the Senate President lauded the transformative potential of the project, spotlighting the strategic partnership between the government and private sector entities such as Hitech Construction Company. He described the highway as a “backbone for economic revitalisation” that will attract investment and create new avenues for economic empowerment. Other goodwill messages echoed these sentiments and much more. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, commended President Tinubu’s resilience and clarity of purpose, recognising the highway as a powerful symbol of leadership that delivers on its promise. He expressed pride in the project’s pivotal role in national development and economic progress. Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a legacy of visionary leadership and focused execution. He underscored its visible socio-economic impact through improved interstate connectivity and increased commercial activity, stressing that the project will significantly improve lives and economies across southern Nigeria. Earlier, in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, FNSE warmly welcomed all dignitaries and expressed heartfelt gratitude to Mr. President. He celebrated the milestone as a monumental achievement, noting that the highway will benefit not only the state on its alignment but the entire nation. He also emphasised that the project stands as a symbol of unity, progress, and a shared national vision for a more prosperous future. Others completed road and bridge projects in the Southern part of the country that was symbolically commissioned by the President including; i. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Phase 1, Section I (Shagamu-Ibadan) in Ogun and Oyo States, ii. Ikorodu-Shagamu Road in Lagos and Ogun States, iii. Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction - Nigeria-Benin Border in Lagos State, iv. Dualisation of East-West Road, Section II, Subsection I, (Eleme Junction-Ahoada in Rivers State, v. Upgrading of 15km of the East-West Road (Eleme Junction-Onne Port Junction) in Rivers State, vi. Construction of a New Bridge to Replace the Near-Collapsed One at Akpoha in Ebonyi State, vii. Rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Section III (Enugu-Lokpanta) in Enugu State, viii. Reconstructed Collapsed Bridge at New Artisan Market in Enugu on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and ix. Alesi-Ugep Road (Iyamoyung-Ugep) in Cross River State. While those that were flagged off, also symbolically, included; i. Rehabilitated Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha-Akure-Benin Road in Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Edo States, ii. Nembe-Brass Road, Section II in Bayelsa State and iii. Section (107 Kilometres) of the Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriageway in Enugu and Anambra States. Mohammad Abdullahi Ahmed Director, Press and Public Relations. ...

May

2025

WORKS MINISTER,SEN. UMAHI FELICITATES WITH PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR ON THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF HIS RENEWED HOPE ADMINISTRATION, DESCRIBES HIM AS A LEADER WITH ENDURING COMMITMENT TO A PROSPEROUS NIGERIA It is with a deep sense of responsibility and profound pleasure that I congratulate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR on this auspicious occasion of the 2-year anniversary of his Renewed Hope administration. . 2. Your Excellency,our dear President,we are delighted by the momentum in your administration's vision to give our nation a strong sense of identity and to build the future and potential of her people. Within the shortest record time,your administration has made incredible marks in changing the inhibitive narrative of leadership deficits that hamper national progress; you have remained unwavering in tackling a range of accumulated and deeply rooted problems of poor infrastructure and other socio-economic challenges that face the nation. 3. In the works sector, the Renewed Hope agenda of revolutionizing the road infrastructure to foster economic growth and enhance the quality of life for all Nigerians is bearing fruit. Within two years in office, you have given unprecedented attention to the road infrastructure through emergency interventions to failed roads and bridges nationwide, increased funding of inherited ongoing projects, introduction of policies and innovations that guarantee quality,speed and value for money, and initiative to construct legacy projects that will expand the transportation ecosystem and turn around Nigeria's economy for sustainable prosperity. You are indeed a leader with enduring commitment to a prosperous Nigeria. 4. As we celebrate this eventful anniversary full of great accomplishments, we pray to God Almighty to continue to bless and prosper your vision to put Nigeria on the path to irreversible progress. Once more congratulations, Mr. President. Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi,CON,FNSE FNATE Honourable Minister of Works ...

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Jul

2024

OTHER NEWS

Nov

2023

RE: Appointment as a Member of Inter-Governmental Committee

H.E. Dr. Abdullahi U. Ganduje, OFR.
National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC),
FCT, Abuja.

I acknowledge with the deepest appreciation the letter of Your Excellency conveying my appointment as a Member of the Inter- Governmental Committee by our great Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

2. I thank you immensely our dear National Chairman together with all the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for the opportunity offered me to serve our great Party in this capacity and I commend you highly for the lofty ideas, innovations and successes that have been recorded under your able leadership since you came on board. I assure you of my unwavering commitment to the cause of our Party's Inter-Governmental Committee and the objectives set to be achieved.

3. Once again, thank you most profoundly and please accept always, the assurances of the esteemed regards and best wishes of my family, the management and staff of the Federal Ministry of Works.

H.E. Sen. (Engr.) Nweze David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE
(Honourable Minister of Works)

SPEECHES

Jan

2023

Religious And Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Co-Existence in Nigeria - The Rev. Euba Example, Being the Text of The First Reverend William Benjamin Euba Memorial Lecture 110th Founders Day Celebration

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to thank you all for the honour of inviting me to speak at this year's Founders Day celebration of the Eko Boys High School and in particular for inaugurating this Memorial lecture in honour of the visionary Reverend William Benjamin Euba now of very blessed memory, who founded this school.

I know that in 1955 when the Premier of the Western Region inaugurated the free primary education program across the western region, the prevailing condition was one of mass illiteracy.

While many of our people are now literate in numeracy and letters, and they can now operate a telephone, this literacy that we have come to take for granted, was unthinkable on any scale in the western region in 1955. Large numbers of people simply could not put meaning to numbers and letters talk less of reading or writing.

One of the permanent businesses of that time, was that of a professional letter writer. Yes, in case you did not know or you have forgotten that was a business that once thrived in Nigeria and which happily by the vision and execution of Awolowo, is now history, because the monopoly of knowledge by a few has been democratised by the leadership provided by one man and his team.

But my intervention is not about Obafemi Awolowo but rather about William Euba.

But it is important to put matters in context by emphasising how difficult things were in 1955 when Awolowo intervened, which is just 68 years ago.

You can therefore imagine perhaps how much more difficult the Euba era was, back in January 1913 when he opened the doors of Eko Boys High School to the public to get Educated.

That was 110 years ago today and approximately 42 years before free education started; and interestingly, both events occurred in January.

On a lighter note, and for those who have recently been involved in the debate over who is the greatest of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, I do not intend such a debate between Euba and Awolowo.

Rather, I seek to celebrate the farsightedness of their vision about the importance of education and knowledge to nation building, peaceful coexistence and information management for rational choices.

This school, founded by Reverend Euba, and the many more that have come after it have in my view been the glue that has bound our people together in more ways than we have either acknowledged or appreciated.

This is the background to my discussion of the topic of this lecture: Religious and Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria - The Reverend Euba Example.

The example of Rev. Euba remains iconic because he set up a school that opened its doors to people from all walks of life, in our diverse country.

The importance of this educational tolerance to peaceful coexistence is easy to miss, if we do not understand how strong identities are, and how even more strongly people cling to their tribal, ethnic, and religious identities.

For those who want to delve into the matter of identity more deeply, I recommend, “IDENTITY: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment” by Francis Fukuyama.

But for the purpose of today, it is simply important to stress how strongly those identities magnify our suspicions about one another, inflame myths about others in our minds and expand fault lines that overshadows the common bonds of humanity that we all share.

It is the very early work and initiative of men like Reverend Euba and other missionaries of the time to open access to formal education for African and Nigerian children on a non-discriminatory basis that has helped in no small way to bridge those gaps that are being widened by manipulation of our ethnic and religious diversity.

As I have had cause to argue on occasion, if our creator has demonstrated the capacity to create diversity, certainly nothing could have prevented him from making us all the same other than his infinite wisdom that our diversity would better enrich us and make our planet a more exciting place.

Regrettably this is what a few people (and I insist that they are few) choose to weaponize and deny us of the richness and excitement that the creator intended for us.

Clearly, Reverend Euba saw through their chicanery many years before it matured. He chose education as his weapon to put those few people in their place.

A place of irrelevance and ignominy, supplanted by the training of a large army of young people who have the understanding of both religions, who accept the minor differences between them and who decide to embrace the fundamentals of a common good and a common humanity.

Those young people, by virtue of the opportunity they got to attend the same school, sit in the same classrooms, eat together and participate in sporting activities together have learned that we are not different from one another even if we speak different languages.

Afterall, as Bishop Desmond Tutu of blessed memory argues in his book "God is not a Christian," that the languages we speak and the faith we profess are not divine; on the contrary they are products of where we were born and to whom we were born.

Those accidental circumstances should not define our essence. They should not be points of discord or discontent. Rather they should serve as sources of strength and richness which in fact they are.

It is to the eternal credit of Reverend William Benjamin Euba and others like him that they saw these sources of strength and richness and exposed young men and women to them through education.

This has turned a generation of young men and women into a large army of adults who have overcome religious and ethnic differences to contribute to national good and development.

Permit me to illustrate this phenomenon, by telling you a story that is only one example of many uncountable stories, which keeps the very few peddlers of division in check in our country.

On the 16th day of December 2022, I was invited to the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School premises to open an e-learning centre at the school premises in Bariga area of Lagos.

The centre had 300 computers, high speed broadband internet, fully equipped IT lab, for students and many other facilities for librarians and teachers. It was not built by the Anglican mission nor was it built by a Christian.

It was built by a Muslim, Senator Olugbenga Bareehu Ashafa, a two-term senator and now the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority.

It was built in part because he was an old boy of that school. The Anglican mission did not shut him out about 50 years ago when he sought admission there, on the grounds that he was a Muslim.

On the contrary, they opened their doors to him, and interestingly while still a student, the school gave him a special permission to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as his parents wished and he returned to complete his education.

As I said, at the occasion, what is a Bareehu doing amongst Anglicans? Only the farsighted vision of missionaries and men like Reverend Euba could have found a place of comfort for a Bareehu amongst Anglicans, and for me a Raji in Eko Boys High School. Yes, I passed through this school for one year.

Ladies and gentlemen, Reverend Euba’s place in Nigeria’s quest for peaceful coexistence is legendary. We cannot thank him enough. May his kind, generous and visionary soul continue to rest in peace and may his example continue to inspire our nation.