- Minister of Works David Umahi revealed that some Nigerians urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove him following the death of nurse Mary Habila at his Ebonyi residence
- SOKAPU filed a N20 billion lawsuit against Umahi over Habila’s June 27 death, alleging a breach of duty of care while she was in his custody
- Umahi said he cancelled birthday celebrations out of respect for Habila and prayed against his family if they had any hand in her death
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja – Minister of Works David Umahi has revealed that President Bola Tinubu dismissed calls from Nigerians demanding his removal following the death of Mary Habila, a nurse who was part of his medical team and died at his Ebonyi state residence on June 27.
Speaking in a video that circulated on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, August 3, Umahi stated that rather than act on the pressure, Tinubu encouraged him to keep working.
Source: Twitter
“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,'” Umahi said.
He added:
“Power and might don’t belong to social media, it belongs to God.”
N20 billion lawsuit filed against Umahi
Habila’s passing drew significant public attention and triggered legal action. The Incorporated Trustees of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ United Associations (SOKAPU) filed a N20 billion suit against Umahi, alleging he breached his duty of care towards the deceased while she was under his custody.
Umahi had earlier asked the Ebonyi state police command to conduct an autopsy on Habila’s body and requested that her remains not be released to her family until the post-mortem examination was completed, saying it was necessary to determine the actual cause and circumstances of her death. Habila’s family rejected the request outright, saying they did not want an autopsy and wished to bury her according to their own customs.
How Umahi cancelled birthday celebration
The minister said the Habila incident weighed heavily on him. Out of respect for the deceased, he asked all his supporters around the world not to hold any celebrations for his recent birthday, saying he was in mourning.
He also offered a solemn prayer, saying that if he or any member of his family played any role in Habila’s death, may their own end be worse than hers.
Legit.ng has previously reported on the circumstances surrounding Mary Habila’s death and the public outcry that followed.
Watch Umahi’s video on X below:
Read more on Umahi
Umahi speaks on possibility of resigning
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Umahi vowed to resign if the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road project fails quality tests.
The former Ebonyi state governor declared his readiness to subject the work to independent testing.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain dismissed concerns about the contractor’s background, insisting that the focus should be on the quality of work delivered rather than perceptions.
Source: Legit.ng