Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu dismissed calls for his removal from office following the controversial death of one of his staff members and instead encouraged him to remain focused on delivering infrastructure projects across the country.
Umahi made the disclosure during a recent public event while addressing concerns surrounding the death of Mary Habila, who died at his residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on June 27, 2026.
According to the minister, some individuals had called on President Tinubu to remove him from office following the incident. However, he said the President rejected those demands and urged him to continue concentrating on his responsibilities.
“People said the President should sack me. Why should he sack me? For doing what? Because somebody working with me died, then I must be sacked?” Umahi said.
He added that the President’s response was straightforward.
“He told me, ‘Dave, go and build more roads,’” the minister stated.
Umahi explained that the incident, coupled with the death of one of his uncles during the same period, prompted him to cancel plans for his birthday celebration as a mark of respect for the deceased.
The minister also criticised attempts to politicise the matter and maintained that he had no involvement in the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death.
The case has remained a subject of public interest since reports emerged about the incident. Umahi initially described Habila as a physiotherapist attached to the Federal Ministry of Works from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences and called for a forensic autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Subsequently, the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy stated that Habila was not a registered physiotherapist, while later reports identified her as a Community Health Extension Worker.
The investigation later moved to the Force Headquarters in Abuja after the Nigeria Police Force took over the matter. Habila’s body was transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, for forensic examination.
Authorities are yet to release the outcome of the investigation, while calls for transparency and accountability in the handling of the case continue.
