Federal Government Takes Over Benin-Asaba Road Palliative Works, Deploys 50 Equipment as Gridlock Worsens

The Federal Government has taken over the immediate palliative rehabilitation of the deteriorating Benin-Asaba Expressway, deploying over 50 pieces of equipment to restore failed sections and ease the prolonged gridlock that has subjected motorists and commuters to severe hardship.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, who flagged off the emergency intervention on Thursday in Benin City, said the Federal Ministry of Works decided to intervene directly after efforts to secure the cooperation of the concessionaire handling the road failed.

He explained that the concession agreement required the Federal Government to obtain the concessionaire’s permission before intervening, but the company declined the options proposed by the ministry.

The 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba Road was concessioned under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement to the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company, with the expectation that it would be completed within three years. However, the pace and manner of execution fell short of the terms of the agreement.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, said the intervention was a direct response to the cries of road users.

“We are here today not to witness the commencement of another road project. We are witnessing the response of a government that has heard the cries of its people and has chosen to act. That is why today’s intervention is truly a rescue operation,” Tinubu said.

Umahi clarified that the temporary palliative works were not awarded to any contractor, explaining that the ministry hired equipment for the emergency intervention. He said more than 50 pieces of equipment had been deployed, with additional equipment expected to be mobilised.

“This is not a new contract but an immediate solution to the plight of road users. We are determined to address the failed sections and, thereafter, provide a durable solution that will serve Nigerians for many years,” Umahi stated.

The minister said the government had directed major contractors to work on three sections of the road to restore failed portions. He added that the entire route would subsequently be redesigned for reconstruction using reinforced concrete pavement.

Umahi said the emergency works would also address sections where existing asphalt had been removed, leaving the road base exposed to rainfall and further deterioration.

Governor Okpebholo urged the contractors handling the emergency works to ensure quality construction, comply strictly with approved specifications and complete the work within the agreed timeframe.

“To the contractors handling the palliative work, this is a road of great economic importance to Edo, Delta and Nigeria. We expect quality work, strict compliance with the approved project specifications, and delivery within the agreed timeframe; there must be no excuses,” he said.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by the Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, said the Benin-Asaba corridor had remained a major challenge for residents of Delta and Edo.

“For us in Delta, this intervention is a welcome development because this road helps to connect commerce, culture and bring us together as a people that once existed as one state,” Oborevwori said.

The worsening condition of the highway had left motorists and passengers stranded for days. One driver told Vanguard that although the journey from Lagos to Benin normally takes about four hours, he spent three days after reaching Benin. Another driver transporting raw materials from Lagos to Asaba said he left Lagos on August 20 and arrived in Asaba on August 23, spending two days and two nights stranded at Agbor.

The minister had earlier directed the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to repair damaged sections of the highway within 14 days during an inspection of the Asaba axis in August.

The emergency intervention is expected to provide immediate relief to motorists while the planned redesign and long-term reconstruction of the corridor proceeds.