As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration approaches the final lap of its first term, questions about governance, accountability, and public perception are becoming increasingly important. Governments are often judged not only by the policies they implement but also by the conduct of those entrusted with executing them. In that regard, few members of the current cabinet have generated as much controversy as the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Since he was appointed Minister in August 2023, Umahi has remained one of the most visible members of the Federal Executive Council. Yet, for many Nigerians, his public profile has been shaped as much by controversy as by infrastructure projects. For an administration already grappling with economic hardship, rising inflation, insecurity, and declining public confidence, the recurring controversies surrounding one of its most prominent ministers raise an uncomfortable question: is David Umahi an asset to the Tinubu administration or an albatross around its neck?
To understand why this question continues to resonate, one must look beyond Abuja.
The controversies did not begin when Umahi became Minister of Works. During his tenure as governor of Ebonyi State, he cultivated a reputation as a strong-willed and decisive leader. Admirers praised his aggressive infrastructure drive and his determination to transform the state’s landscape. Critics, however, often accused him of intolerance toward dissent and an inclination toward authoritarian methods.
One of the most notable incidents involved Chijioke Agwu, a journalist with The Sun newspaper, who was arrested and detained after publishing a report on Lassa fever cases in Ebonyi State. The government accused him of violating COVID-19 regulations, but media rights advocates viewed the arrest as retaliation for critical reporting. Around the same period, Peter Okutu, a correspondent with Vanguard, was also reportedly arrested under circumstances that generated concern among defenders of press freedom.
The concerns extended beyond journalists.
In October 2019, Umahi reportedly ordered the arrest of motorists whom he accused of obstructing his convoy. The individuals were said to be mourners returning from a funeral. At a public event the following day, he reportedly declared that security aides should shoot anyone who blocked a governor’s movement, adding that any death resulting from such action would be justified under the law.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, he was criticised for ordering security personnel at an isolation centre to shoot anyone attempting to leave the facility and for directing that individuals who failed to wear face masks be arrested and publicly flogged. While supporters argued that he was merely enforcing public health measures during an extraordinary period, critics saw the directives as emblematic of a broader disregard for civil liberties.
In November 2021, five engineers who were employees of NELAN Consulting Limited—Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Engr. Ernest Edeani, Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Engr. Samuel Aneke, and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum—left Enugu for Ebonyi State to supervise the construction of the Abakaliki Ring Road under a contract funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). They never returned, and the dust generated by their disappearance is yet to settle as at this moment as CSOs and rights activists are demanding answers from Umahi who was the state governor during their disappearance.
Also, in October 2022, another incident reinforced those concerns. Reports indicated that civil servants who arrived late to work at the Ebonyi Airport in Onueke were subjected to humiliating treatment, as they were flogged by soldiers on the governor’s orders. The episode attracted widespread condemnation and further cemented perceptions of a leader who preferred coercion to persuasion.
That reputation has followed Umahi to Abuja where he occupies one of the most strategic ministries in the Tinubu administration.
Perhaps the clearest illustration came in September 2024 when workers at the Federal Ministry of Works openly challenged what they considered his high-handed approach to administration. After arriving at the ministry and finding many staff absent, Umahi ordered that latecomers be locked out.
Unlike what might have happened in a state bureaucracy where governors often wield near-absolute authority, federal civil servants resisted. Workers barricaded the ministry gates, protested the decision, and prevented movement in and out of the premises. Chants of “Umahi must go” reportedly echoed around the complex.
The workers argued that the minister had failed to appreciate the realities confronting public servants, many of whom commute long distances from neighbouring states amid worsening transportation costs and economic hardship. What began as an attempt to enforce discipline quickly escalated into a public embarrassment.
Eventually, the minister sought a truce and invited labour leaders for discussions. They declined, insisting instead that he come down to address them directly. He did. The workers demanded an apology. He apologised.
One labour representative reportedly reminded him that “this is not a state; this is the federal capital.”
The incident was revealing. It suggested that the command-and-control style that may have worked in state politics was proving less effective in a federal environment where authority is more diffused and institutions are stronger.
Yet perhaps no controversy has generated more concern than the dispute involving Dr. Stella Okengwu, the Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited, a Nigerian entrepreneur based in the United States.
Okengwu accused the minister of abusing his office through unlawful demolitions, defamation, and the acquisition of her property in connection with the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. In a petition addressed to President Tinubu, she described what she called the minister’s “reckless and damaging conduct” and warned that such actions could discourage genuine investors from committing capital to Nigeria.
The matter escalated when a group of aggrieved Nigerian expatriates reportedly petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Works, alleging corruption, abuse of power, and deliberate actions aimed at undermining diaspora investments.
For an administration actively seeking foreign direct investment and encouraging Nigerians abroad to invest at home, such allegations are politically damaging regardless of how they are ultimately resolved.
The controversy deepened further after a video circulated online in which Umahi appeared to boast about acquiring additional portions of the woman’s land because she challenged him.
“Before, I didn’t want to take the woman’s remaining land, but when she started making trouble, I said they should go and acquire the land. Na me do am,” he reportedly stated.
Whether intended as bravado or frustration, the statement reinforced concerns about the arbitrary exercise of power. Investors seek certainty, transparency, and protection of property rights. When public officials appear to suggest that government authority can be deployed against citizens because they are considered troublesome, confidence inevitably suffers.
The minister is again in the eye of the storm, following the death of a 26 year- old nurse, Mary Habila at his residence in Ebonyi state.
In Lagos, residents affected by severe flooding have increasingly directed criticism at Umahi over some aspects of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. They argued that construction activities may have worsened drainage challenges in some communities.
Taofik Gani, a chieftain of the PDP faulted Umahi over his comments on the flooding and even urged President Bola Tinubu to call him to order, insisting that public officials should avoid actions and comments capable of portraying the administration in a negative light.
Gani said rather than address the concerns of the residents during a stakeholders meeting in Lagos, Umahi talked down on the people and turned the meeting to a political jamboree.
“The meeting organised by Umahi offended Lagosians more than it gave them hope. His statement that flooding in Lagos existed yesterday, exists today and will continue tomorrow is callous and insensitive,” Gani said.
The cumulative effect of these controversies cannot be ignored. Every administration depends on public trust. Every government relies on its appointees to project competence, discipline, and respect for democratic norms. When ministers repeatedly become the centre of controversy, attention shifts away from governance and toward damage control.
This is particularly significant because infrastructure is one of the pillars upon which the Tinubu administration hopes to build its legacy. Roads, bridges, and transportation networks are tangible indicators of government performance. The Minister of Works should therefore be among the administration’s most effective ambassadors.
Instead, Umahi often dominates headlines for reasons unrelated to infrastructure delivery.
To be fair, he is not the only controversial figure in the administration. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, frequently attracts criticism for his combative style and provocative statements. Other officials have faced allegations ranging from misconduct to credential controversies. Yet what distinguishes Umahi is the remarkable frequency with which controversies seem to arise around him.
Hardly a month passes without a fresh dispute, allegation, public confrontation, or viral statement generating negative publicity.
This raises a difficult question for the presidency: Does this help the image of a government preparing to seek re-election in 2027?
Politics is ultimately about perception. Nigerians facing economic hardship are paying close attention not only to government policies but also to the conduct of public officials. Every controversy chips away at public confidence. Every allegation left unanswered fuels public cynicism.
Yet perhaps the most troubling aspect of the situation is the apparent absence of effective institutional accountability.
Nigeria’s opposition remains fragmented and largely ineffective. Civil society organisations that once vigorously challenged government excesses appear weaker, less influential, or increasingly selective in their interventions. The result is a democratic environment where public officials often operate without the level of scrutiny expected in mature democracies.
In many countries, repeated controversies involving a senior cabinet minister would trigger sustained legislative investigations, intense media scrutiny, and potentially resignation or dismissal. The objective would not necessarily be to establish guilt but to protect public confidence in government.
Nigeria under President Tinubu appears to have normalised controversy to the point where accountability has become optional. How long can the president tolerate or condone some of these excesses?
A minister can be fiercely loyal to a president while simultaneously becoming a political liability. History is filled with governments weakened not by opposition parties but by the actions and utterances of their own appointees.
As the Tinubu administration looks toward 2027, it must confront a reality that many governments learn too late: public perception matters. Infrastructure projects may be important, but they cannot fully compensate for the reputational damage caused by recurring controversies.
David Umahi undoubtedly possesses political experience, administrative knowledge, and a record of infrastructure development that made him attractive for the role of Works Minister. But public office demands more than technical competence. It requires restraint, judgment, respect for institutions, and an understanding that power must always be exercised within the boundaries of democratic accountability.
The question, therefore, is no longer whether David Umahi is a friend of the Tinubu administration. His loyalty is hardly in doubt. The more pressing question is whether the administration can continue to absorb the political cost of the controversies that surround one of its most prominent ministers. For a government seeking a second mandate, that question deserves serious reflection.
Akinsuyi, former group politics editor of the Daily Independent, writes from Abuja. He can be reached via shabydayo@gmail.com
