Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has revealed that some individuals mounted pressure on President Bola Tinubu to remove him from office following the controversial death of one of his staff members, but said the President rejected the calls and instead urged him to remain focused on delivering infrastructure projects across the country.
Speaking during a public event in remarks that have since gone viral on social media, Umahi said critics attempted to exploit the death of the staff member for political purposes by demanding his dismissal.
Without mentioning the deceased by name, the minister described her as one of his “best workers” and insisted there was no justification for calls seeking his removal from office.
“Power and might do not belong to social media; they belong to God,” Umahi declared. “People took the death of one of my best workers and started playing politics with it. They 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?”
According to him, President Tinubu dismissed the campaign against him and instead encouraged him to continue his assignment.
“But the President surprised all of them. He told me, ‘Dave, go and build more roads,'” Umahi recounted.
The minister said the death of the staff member, coupled with the loss of one of his uncles who reportedly collapsed while watching a football match, plunged his family into mourning and forced him to cancel celebrations marking his birthday.
He lamented that despite the tragedy, some individuals allegedly sought to gain political mileage from the incident.
Umahi also offered an emotional prayer while denying any wrongdoing, stating that if he or any member of his family had any involvement in the woman’s death, they should face an even worse fate. However, he said those spreading what he described as false allegations would equally face severe consequences if their accusations proved untrue.
The death at the centre of the controversy is widely believed to be that of Mary Habila, a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW), who died on June 27, 2026, under controversial circumstances at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The incident has sparked nationwide outrage and intense public scrutiny after reports confirmed that Habila was found dead at the minister’s residence.
Umahi has maintained that he immediately requested a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. He had initially described Habila as a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS) to the Federal Ministry of Works.
However, that claim was challenged after the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy stated that Habila was not listed among its registered physiotherapists. Subsequent reports identified her as a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW).
The investigation later took another turn after Habila’s family agreed to a forensic autopsy on the condition that the case be transferred from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The Nigeria Police subsequently assumed control of the investigation, while Habila’s body was transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, for forensic examination.
The circumstances surrounding her death continue to generate widespread public concern, with civil society groups, legal experts and members of the public demanding a transparent, independent and credible investigation to establish the true cause of her death and ensure that justice is served.