Uburu stood still on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, as the Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, HE Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON for the second time hosted his 1976 classmates in an emotionally charged homecoming that blended gratitude, reflection, and faith. The gathering, held at the Osborn La Palm Event Center, was more than a reunion. It was a statement of identity, unity, and belief in Nigeria’s future.
From the moment he rose to speak, Umahi set a deeply personal tone, reminding his guests that the essence of the meeting went beyond celebration.
“The essence of this gathering is to know ourselves, to get together, to be grateful to God and to pray together.”
He used his own family as a living example, stressing that unity does not happen by chance. Members of his extended family, he said, live together, not because it is easy, but because unity demands sacrifice.
The Minister’s message soon broadened from family to destiny, from personal success to collective responsibility. Umahi reminded his classmates that elevation comes with obligation.
“God has elevated a number of us and it’s our duty like Christ said ‘ when I am lifted up, I will take all men unto me.’ Do not give up on yourselves. Now, this is the beginning of a new dawn in our lives but to succeed in life, you must embrace godliness, we must be expectant. Believe in yourselves and also believe in God. God didn’t put us together in vein.”
As the hall listened attentively, the conversation turned to Nigeria, its struggles, and its promise. Umahi addressed long-held grievances about marginalization and development, while firmly rejecting separatist illusions.
“Now, we have been waiting for good roads, we have been waiting for inclusiveness in the affairs of the country, we have been waiting for fairness, equity and justice, we have been waiting for a time like this. People believes that if we are Biafra, there will be gold at the doorsteps of their houses, the roads will be built overnight. All kinds of wishes but we are stronger and better in a united and fair Nigeria and that’s what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands for.”
In a direct appeal to Southeast leaders and thinkers, Umahi called for courage, clarity, and ownership of the region’s decision.
“Don’t join them, we have gotten to a point that we should sit down to discuss the affairs of SouthEast. We cannot leave our region to mediocre, people that won’t be able to explain how we started. This Southeast people are courageous, let them come out and speak that we are better in a united Nigeria.”
The Minister then reeled out a sweeping vision of infrastructure transformation, anchoring it on projects he said would redefine the Southeast under the current administration.
“Soonest, the Southeast people will say that the grace of God through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu we were able to complete 360b project, the road between Enugu and Onitsha; we were able to say that we completed the dualization between Enugu and Abakaliki, 183b; we will be able to say that 123.5km going through Abakaliki Afikpo road down to Benue border 456b; we will be able to say that Mpu to Uburu to Okposi to Ugwulangwu to Abaomege to Ugep, over 150b, that we were able to complete it. We will be able to say that Ndibe beach bridge is being done, 75b, connecting Ebonyi to Calabar; we will be able to say that Oferekpe bridge is completed, 68b; we will be able to say that Oferekpe road from Onuebonyi, 65b; we will be able to say that from Amasiri junction, down to Uturu to Okigwe, 193b; we will be able to say that four sessions of Enugu to Port harcourt road, over 300b is been completed and the second Niger bridge, session 2b, 170b would have been completed; that the Owerri, Onitsha road would have been completed; that the Lagos, Calabar Coastal Highway that President Tinubu directed it should come through Umuahia and Ikot Ekpene would have been completed. We will not waste our votes as people of SouthEast and when the time for a president comes, you need a man like me.”
On Ebonyi politics, Umahi was unequivocal, throwing his weight solidly behind the current governor.
“For avoidance of doubt, our unalloyed support is for Governor Francis Nwifuru. If you are criticizing him, it means that God has not given you the spiritual eyes to see that the young man came from us, that he loves us and means well for us.”
He concluded with a blunt comparison between life abroad and opportunities at home, challenging Nigerians who dismiss their country while benefiting from its potential.
“That is how some people will travel oversee, they will obey traffic rules, they will work 21 hours but they will come here and they will carry water and be walking up and down, they will disobey traffic rules, disobey everything, they don’t want to work but when they are out there, they will be criticizing the leaders, they see nothing good in Nigeria. If you work one tenth of the way you work oversees, you make more money compared to overseas. There is no country like Nigeria, there is no place you can make it like in Nigeria.”
The event was equally marked by warmth and thoughtful gestures. The Minister ensured that his classmates from the 1976 set were well celebrated, with beautifully gift packages presented to them in appreciation of shared history and enduring bonds.
The atmosphere came alive with colourful unity dances, music, and entertainment that drew smiles and laughter from everyone present. Old memories were rekindled through nostalgic conversations, as classmates reminisced about their early years and the journeys life had taken them on.
Group photographs captured the moment, bringing together all classmates, their family members, as well as the widows and widowers of departed colleagues, who were specially recognised and warmly included in the celebration.
A minute of silence was observed, followed by prayers in honour of the departed classmates, alongside a donation set aside to support the school fees of their children.
