Stop bringing Nigeria down, promote hope and unity, Umahi told citizens

Minister of Public Works, David Umahi, has urged Nigerians both at home and abroad to stop demarketing the country, and called for patriotism, constructive engagement and confidence in Nigeria’s progress.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Umahi expressed disappointment over what he described as a growing culture of negativity and public condemnation of the country.

“I feel very sad when people degrade the country both outside and inside Nigeria, swearing without their knowledge. Because, a job is very easy if you are not the one doing it. Think again,” he said.

The minister advised the people to prioritize national interests and moral responsibilities, while reminding them that “we are all living this life and there is a need to have eternal treasures beyond this life by putting Nigeria first, by being your brother’s keeper, by doing everything with the fear of God.”

He lamented that Nigerians who obey all the rules abroad often ignore them once back home.

“I wonder when our people go abroad, they suffer more; they experience all kinds of humiliation and oppression; sometimes they work for 19 hours and they obey all the rules. But when they come here, they break all the rules. That’s not good; let’s have hope here. This is the only country that can produce 100 percent of jobs, whereas you can’t get more than 10 percent abroad,” Umahi said.

He emphasized that Nigeria is full of opportunities, but people must open their minds to see and exploit them.

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According to him, “there are many opportunities in Nigeria, but people will not see the opportunities if they decide to turn a blind eye.”

Umahi urged Nigerians to be optimistic, forgiving and cooperative, saying that bitterness and ingratitude will not help the country move forward.

“There is a saying that says ‘forgiveness sets the prisoner free’, and when you are forgiven, you will know that you are the prisoner. So let us work with the fear of God and support our government, and of course, give constructive criticism. Nigeria is great again,” he said.

Praising President Bola Tinubu for his resilience in steering the country through difficult economic conditions, Umahi described the president’s silence in the face of inherited challenges as a sign of courage and leadership.

“As governor at the time, I knew what the Tinubu government inherited. Everything became a priority, and the debt burden became very heavy,” he said.

“In fact, when I looked at capital projects, I never knew that debt payments were taken from capital projects, and that is where the problem lies. So a lot of debts are being saved and these debts are not used for infrastructure development, otherwise it will become a catalyst for development. It is very important to know that what we inherited is very bad. Everything is a priority, but we will overcome this. Even our fuel is sold first, but this is a matter of courage and that is why the president is not complaining but we will overcome it,” explained the Minister of Finance.

Umahi expressed confidence that the reforms carried out by the government were producing positive results, citing improvements in economic indicators.

“So all the indices are breathing well and the worst is over, according to the president’s words, and the darkest part of the morning is dawn. The macroeconomy is going very well,” he said.

He noted that inflation has fallen, GDP growth has increased to more than 4.23 percent, and foreign exchange reserves have increased by more than 42 percent.

“Commitment and infrastructure development will also overcome existing hunger because this will have an impact on the macro economy and this will be a win-win solution for this nation,” added Umahi.

“To me, the president has taken this country back for us. So forget the noisemakers. There will always be people making noise, and I suggest our generation should try to work harder than our ancestors. Hard work will pay off; that is very, very important. Even the Bible says that whoever does not work should not eat,” the minister said.