By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has added another high-profile recognition to his growing list of accolades, clinching the Extraordinary Personality of the Year Award from the Silverbird Group in a glittering ceremony at Eko Hotels & Suites on Sunday night.
The award, presented on March 1, 2026, drew a heavyweight audience of top government officials, lawmakers, technocrats and industry leaders, all converging to honour a minister whose tenure has become synonymous with speed, scale and sweeping ambition in Nigeria’s infrastructure renewal drive.
Representing the Minister at the ceremony, Minister of State for Works, Barr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, described the recognition as a verdict on performance.
“We cannot but register our sincere gratitude for this award identifying our own the Honourable Minister of Works for the works he has been doing in this country,” Goronyo declared.
At the heart of the celebration was a sweeping infrastructure programme that has redefined expectations within a single administration.
Among the flagship projects cited were:
The 750km Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway
The 1,068km Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway
The Trans-Sahara corridor stretching from Calabar through Ebonyi and Benue to Abuja
The 420km
Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Borno corridor
According to Goronyo, these legacy projects, alongside accelerated road and bridge construction across the six geopolitical zones underscore a bold attempt to rewrite Nigeria’s connectivity map.
Industry observers say the sheer scale of execution has shifted the narrative from promises to pavement.
In a symbolic gesture that drew loud applause, Goronyo revealed that Umahi directed the award be dedicated to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, crediting the administration’s infrastructure-first policy for the momentum recorded so far.
“All these achievements are recorded because of our President,” he said, adding that the Minister also dedicated the honour to the Ministry’s management team and contractors driving execution nationwide.
For the Ministry, he stressed, the award is not a finishing line but a fresh ignition.
“It is another feather for us to continue to fly and work harder so that Nigeria will reach the desires and aspirations of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The Federal Ministry of Works is currently managing 2,065 ongoing projects across the country, according to organisers of the event a portfolio described as one of the most expansive in recent years.
Silverbird Group noted that since assuming office, Umahi’s mandate has been clear: rehabilitate existing roads, construct new strategic corridors, and ensure durability through improved engineering standards and innovative construction technologies.
As applause echoed through the Eko Hotels ballroom, one message stood out: in an era where infrastructure delivery often crawls, the Works Ministry is projecting urgency.
For Umahi, Sunday night’s honour may be symbolic but the road ahead remains long, demanding, and under intense national scrutiny.
