Despite calls from some Nigerians for his removal pending an independent investigation into the death of Mary Habila, a staff member who reportedly died at his residence in Uhuru, Ebonyi State, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said President Bola Tinubu has continued to encourage him to remain focused on his duties.
According to Umahi, the President urged him to concentrate on delivering infrastructure projects rather than being distracted by the controversy surrounding the incident.
The minister’s remarks followed calls from rights groups and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who argued that asking him to step aside was not a punishment but a necessary step to uphold public accountability. They maintained that public officials facing serious allegations should not remain in office while an investigation is ongoing.
In a video that surfaced on Monday, Umahi, while responding to calls for his removal from Tinubu’s cabinet, accused some individuals of politicising Habila’s death.
He said: “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 had, in recent weeks, condemned what he described as defamatory activities by individuals he accused of using the incident to tarnish his reputation.
He said he had instructed his lawyers to take legal action against those responsible for circulating what he described as defamatory reports.