The National Media Tour is organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team reveals why people of Ebonyi State are clamouring for re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru in 2027
By Ayorinde Oluokun
When a team of over 50 journalists led by presidential team set out for a tour of Federal Government projects in the South East courtesy of Renewed Hope Ambassadors with the first stop in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State on Saturday, 13 it was doubtful if attending a grand rally of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was part of their itinerary. But many of the journalists will consider their presence at the kickoff of the June 15 grand rally held Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki as a delightful coincidence.
For one, the mammoth crowd and subsequent affirmation of support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru in the 2027 elections confirmed what they have been told and seen for the two previous days they had traversed Ebonyi for projects inspection and the political direction of the state in 2027. “We will not allow any political party to take any position during the election process, this is the only president that has started projects in Ebonyi and completed them,” Nwifuru said to the thunderous applause of the crowd.
He added that Ebonyi State has also been taking advantage of the President’s bold initiative and vision for a united and prosperous Nigeria to deliver good governance to the people of the state.
Speaking in the same vein, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi described the endorsement of President Tinubu and Governor Nwifuru for second term as commendable initiative. “Ebonyi is a one-party state; we are not going to make another mistake. President Tinubu has done a lot for the South-East zone,” Umahi said at the event attended by National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, other members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo who is also the chairman of Renewed Hope Ambassadors.
Disobedient In Obedience To Tinubu In 2027
The Minister had while conducting journalists and members of the presidential team two days before the rally that the people of the South-East will correct the mistake, they made in 2023 by voting for President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Umahi who spoke at a section of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway where a flyover is being constructed said President Tinubu has done enough in terms of projects to gain the trust of the people of South East.
The Minister who was a former chairman of PDP, deputy governor and governor of Ebonyi said the ongoing interventions in the South-East and Ebonyi state by the Tinubu led FG is unprecedented: “And when we talk of the gains of the people of the South East under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some people that do not understand what we are talking about will continue to demarket us. “And let it be known that Ebonyi state is not obedient because we want to catch up with the rest of the country. We’ll never be obedient. What happened before was an accident of history, it will not repeat itself,” Umahi said.
He also responded to claims that the President has abandoned the South East with ongoing and completed Federal Government’s projects in Ebonyi State. According to him, 123.5 kilometers of trans-sahara route which is the third legacy project the President Tinubu adjoining the Lagos-Calabar Highway through Ndibe Bridge to Benue border is in Ebonyi State.
“The Dangote Project – through tax credit that is running from a section of this Trans- Sahara going to Okigwe, Abia to Port Harcourt-Enugu Federal Highway is ongoing. It’s N196 billion. The Ndibe bridge, a very wonderful project is ongoing – the project is N65 billion. Enugu-Abakaliki is N183 billion and it is 118 kilometers.
“In the past, Ebonyi never had any federal project. So, we have every reason to be disobedient in an obedience to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, him and him alone,” Umahi said.
Why South East Will Vote Tinubu In 2027
Speaking in the same vein during the tour of Ebonyi, Barrister Chioma Nwaeze, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for South East affirmed that the President, for the first time, is including the region in the scheme of things in the country. “We are thanking Mr President because he has been intentional about Southeast, telling us that we are part of Nigeria. From Enugu to Onitsha, Onitsha to Owerri, Enugu to Abakaliki roads projects are ongoing.
She noted that the people of Ebonyi had for many years advocated for the building of the Ndibe bridge that will link the state to Cross River, but the President is now building the bridge.
“The President is intentional about constructing roads that will outlive all of us so that we can focus on other things in this country. Since when I was born and know what budget was, we have been having Enugu Onitsha, Enugu Port Harcourt always in the budget. But this is actually the first time it is being done. You can travel from Enugu to Port Harcourt, you want see single pothole. So, we are thanking the President and the Minister for fulfilling the dream of Renewed Hope and we are thanking the presidential media team,” said Nwaeze.
She therefore declared that Tinubu deserves the votes of the people in 2027: “We are telling our people to stand up for this election and be counted as the South East because we need to vote for Mr. President en masse, we will not vote for promises that we have not yet seen. We are going to vote for promises that have been kept.”
Ebonyi As Construction Site
While welcoming the team to the state on Saturday, Governor Nwifuru had also expressed his appreciation to President Tinubu for his commitment to the development of South East in general and Ebonyi in particular.
He noted that that the state had also embarked on many projects including rural roads, primary health centres, and water schemes in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President and with more resources now coming to the state from the federal purse.
“We have kept contractors busy in the state with projects spread across every local government area, from rural roads to primary health centres and water schemes. We do not even view the road projects as a big deal because we have road projects scattered all over the state.”
“There is no place you will go to that you will not see more than five projects. The minimum project you can see is roads of between 10 and 22 kilometres, while there are others extending well beyond that,” he said.
The Governor added that the state had distinguished itself through ambitious infrastructure development and prudent use of resources.
The media team then set out to confirm the Governor’s assertion with visits to ongoing and completed projects across the state. Key among the projects are the two new universities. One of the universities, Ebonyi State University of Information and Communications Technology in Okperekpe has already taken off with admission of students. Construction work is ongoing at the Ebonyi State University of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering Science and Technology, which is expected to be completed before 2027.
The team also visited the Umougudu Oshia/NigerCem concrete pavement road designed to provide an alternative link between Ebonyi and Enugu states as well as Elinwobvu General Hospital designed to provide residents of Abakaliki and surrounding communities with essential medical services, including outpatient consultations, maternal and child healthcare, emergency treatment, and general clinical care. The facility is also designed to strengthen Ebonyi healthcare delivery system by supporting early diagnosis, routine treatment, and referral services to higher-level medical centres as well as primary and secondary healthcare needs.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma told journalists that the state government has equipped 13 general hospitals with MRI machines and other modern medical equipment in addition to recruitment of 195 healthcare workers, upgraded primary healthcare centres statewide, and expanded free maternal and child healthcare insurance coverage.
“We distributed ambulances and utility vehicles to general hospitals. These measures are strengthening tertiary and primary healthcare delivery while making services more accessible and affordable for residents,” he said.
Also, the media team visited the 140 three-bedroom housing units being constructed for displaced persons in Ameaze and Izzo communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state. The houses will be distributed free to beneficiaries when completed.
The Senator Chris Nwankwo Housing Estate in Abakaliki, a 140-unit housing scheme that would also be allocated to workers who have distinguished themselves in their service to the state government free of charge was also inspected by journalists.
The 140 four-bedroom duplexes are nearing completion, according to Ebonyi Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Francis Ori. He revealed that the twin estates include supporting infrastructure such as roads, water supply and electricity that will be completed before allocation to beneficiaries.
The journalists also inspected the Kpakpaji Smart School in Ezzama Local Development Area and the ongoing construction of an 88-kilometre concrete road along the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Expressway being handled by indigenous construction firm Reinforced Global Resources Limited. The State Government said construction is ongoing on 43 model secondary schools across the state.
In the agricultural sector, the government said it is supporting mechanised farming, fertiliser distribution, the revival of the Nkaliki Hatchery and the construction of a major feed mill aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and creating employment opportunities.
The state has also embarked on industrialisation initiatives to diversify the state’s economy with the establishment state-owned cement factory and the development of an industrial city designed to attract investment and promote manufacturing.
The Ebonyi International Trade Centre and the Vanco Flyover in Abakaliki are two other projects seen by the journalists. When completed, the Vanco flyover is expected to help improve traffic flow, ease congestion, reduce travel delays, and support smoother intra-city mobility for residents and commuters.
The media team also inspected the 22-kilometre Izeagu-Azulu rural road connecting four communities through an eight-inch concrete pavement, and the ongoing construction of the Ebonyi Five-Star Hotel in Abakaliki, a project originally conceived as the Ebonyi Trade Centre.
‘Ebonyi Dreaming Big Doing Big Things’
Speaking during the media tour, Bayo Onanuga, the leader of the team commended the synergy between the Federal Government and the Ebonyi State Government, noting that federal interventions were effectively complementing state-led development initiatives. According to him Nwifuru’s investments in education, healthcare, housing and road infrastructure would improve living standards and stimulate economic growth.
Onanuga added that the extensive rural road programme being implemented by the state government was already enhancing agricultural activities and access to markets and social services in rural communities. The presidential adviser also hailed Governor Nwifuru’s administration for deploying increased federal allocations to drive development across key sectors.
“The governor is doing very well. We have seen a massive improvement in Vanco Junction and the tunnel compared to August last year. The state government is constructing a 4.61-kilometre signature infrastructure corridor with a twin flyover bridge and an underground tunnel. Vanco Junction is taking shape, and what I saw today is a vast improvement over last year,” he said.
He attributed that scale of development being witnessed in Ebonyi and other states to increased revenues accruing to sub-national governments under the Tinubu administration.
“Well, this reflects the fact that the money that the Federal Government is giving the states is really working because the governor told us yesterday that in the past, after collecting FAAC allocation and paying salaries, he barely had enough money, about N100 million, N200 million to do other projects, but now you can see the states. “Ebonyi State, in particular, is dreaming big and doing big things. The state is conceiving projects it would never have thought of before. It is doing those projects without having to go to the bank to borrow money,” he said.
And this is also why the people of the state are eager to ensure continuity at the federal and state level in 2027, according to Umahi.
“The people have never had it this good since the country’s history and we would massively use our votes to show him our appreciation,” the Minister said.
