Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said President Bola Tinubu ignored calls for his removal from office following the death of a staff member attached to the Federal Ministry of Works, insisting that the President instead urged him to remain focused on delivering critical infrastructure projects.
Umahi made the remarks in a video that surfaced on X on Monday while responding to criticism that followed the death of Mary Habila, a ministry staff member who died in June at his country residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State. Her death sparked widespread public interest and calls for accountability as authorities launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the minister, some individuals attempted to exploit the incident for political purposes by calling on President Tinubu to remove him from office.
“Power and might don’t belong to social media, it belongs to God,” Umahi said.
Recalling the President’s response to the calls for his dismissal, he added: “When people took the death of one of my staff and started playing politics with it, they said the president should sack me, but the president surprised all of them and said, ‘Dave, go and build more roads.'”
The minister did not comment on the status of the ongoing investigation into Habila’s death during the remarks. He, however, maintained that he would remain focused on his responsibilities despite the criticism.
Habila’s death has continued to generate reactions since June, with many Nigerians demanding transparency and urging authorities to conclude investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Police are yet to publicly announce the outcome of the investigation.