Works minister Dave Umahi has warned members of the Obidient Movement against efforts to undermine President Bola Tinubu's development agenda. Speaking in Lagos, Umahi vowed to defend the president's projects vigorously and said critics would face pushback.
"There is a committed effort by some people building their own content creation to undermine the great work President Tinubu is doing, but we will not allow it," Umahi said.
He adopted confrontational language in describing how his team would respond to detractors. "We sharpen our mouth, they tackle us, we tackle them, they Obidient us, we Tinubu them, we Asiwaju them, we can't keep quiet," the minister added.
Umahi challenged the Obidient Movement to account for what their leaders achieved in previous positions. He cited Peter Obi's time as Anambra governor, saying the former governor left the state with significant contractor debts despite claims of surplus funds.
"Somebody was telling me when we had a small debate that Peter Obi left $50 million but I said to him, Obiano said you left this money in the bank but look at the contractors you are owing," he explained. "So by the time he took the money and paid the contractors everything was in the negative."
The minister used biblical imagery to justify the Tinubu administration's spending priorities. He referenced the parable of talents to argue that governments must invest in growth rather than simply save money.
"There is a businessman in the Bible, a rich man that was going on a tour and he called his servants, this one he gave this amount, that one he gave that amount, go trade with it and make profit," Umahi noted.
He argued that austerity measures make no sense when citizens face hunger and industry remains weak. "You can't be saving when the people are hungry, when there is no industry," the minister concluded.
