Umahi Denies Allegations Of Sexual Harassment, ₦200 Million Debt

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed allegations linking him to sexual harassment and financial misconduct, including claims that he owes a businesswoman, Tracynither Ohiri, ₦200 million.

Naija News reports that Umahi, who spoke on Saturday after inspecting ongoing work on the Onitsha–Awka–Enugu Expressway, said he would not be “bullied” on social media over what he described as baseless allegations.

The controversy, which has trended on social media, centres on claims that the minister owes Ohiri N200m for promotional materials allegedly supplied during his 2014 governorship campaign.

Responding to questions from journalists, Umahi described the claims as distractions by individuals allegedly uncomfortable with his performance in office.

“I cannot be bullied on social media. If you are paid to insult me on social media, it won’t shut my mouth. I am not distracted at all. Everyone who knows me knows that I am David and not afraid of anything,” he said.

He insisted that the matter is already before the court and challenged his accusers to substantiate their claims legally.

“Meanwhile, the matter is in court. Whether you insult or praise me, I don’t want to know. All I know is that if you allege, you must prove it in court,” he added.

The minister maintained that he remains focused on his duties despite what he termed ongoing attacks.

“We are not distracted from our work. We know we are engaged in a series of wars because contracts are no longer business as usual. We’re not unaware of that.

“So, wherever the fight is coming from, we are ready. But we won’t bend the standard. We will fulfil the calling of God Almighty, the people and Mr President,” he said.

Umahi expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the Onitsha–Awka–Enugu Expressway and urged contractors to accelerate efforts to meet agreed deadlines.

He stated, “I am very impressed with the level of work on the road so far. The first 20km is completed. We just have 13km left. All of the road is concrete and will last for the next 100 years.

“Nobody guarantees asphalt in this country for up to 15 years. That is why we are insisting on concrete. We have seen the quality of the roads we are building across the country.”

He added that the contractors had agreed to complete the project before the peak of the rainy season.

“We agreed with the contractors that these roads would be completed by April, before the rains come, because we don’t want the rain to affect the roads,” he said.