Nigeria would be failed state if God didn’t make Tinubu president – Umahi

David Umahi, minister of works, says President Bola Tinubu’s election victory was a divine intervention that saved Nigeria from potential collapse.

Umahi spoke on Saturday at the unveiling of the federal government’s ‘Operation Free Our Roads’ initiative in Abuja.

The former governor of Ebonyi state said only a few people were aware of the severity of the challenges faced by the country before Tinubu’s presidency.

The minister asked citizens to suspend the planned August 1 protest and grant the president additional time to execute his vision.

He said the president’s infrastructure initiatives, if given a chance to succeed, would bring about transformative change to the country.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to our youths to give Mr President Bola Tinubu more time,” Umahi said.

“It would have been a failed state if God did not divinely bring the president at a very critical time like this.

“A lot of people did not know what challenges we had before he came on board.”

Umahi called for patriotic support to reform the country, adding that unrest could be exploited by criminals.

“Yes, there may be hardship, but the dawn is the darkest part of the night; we see a lot of hope and positive indices,” the minister said.

“So, let us give him more time and support him and increase our productivity, our country will be great again.”

Umahi said the ‘Operation Free Our Roads’ initiative will prioritise citizen comfort, adding that the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) cooperation is crucial for successful road rehabilitation.