SAPELE/Nigeria: The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has mobilised two construction firms for the reconstruction of a 15.4-kilometre section of the Benin-Sapele Expressway in Delta State, in an effort to accelerate work on one of the major road corridors linking the South-South with other parts of Nigeria.
The project was formally flagged off at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele, on Friday, with the NDDC assuring motorists and residents who have endured prolonged delays and difficult travelling conditions that work would proceed with urgency.
The Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, welcomed the intervention and said restoring the failed section would improve connectivity and stimulate economic activity in the state.
Aniagwu said Delta had continued to intervene on roads under federal jurisdiction because the consequences of failed infrastructure were borne by residents irrespective of the ownership of the roads.
He said the state had constructed more than five kilometres of rigid-pavement dual carriageway along the Warri axis and executed bridge and flyover projects at several locations on federal road corridors.
Among the areas he mentioned were Otovwodo Junction, DSC Roundabout, PTI Junction, Enerhen Roundabout and Uromi Junction in Agbor.
According to Aniagwu, the state government had spent more than N300 billion on interventions along federal road corridors in its effort to keep major routes within Delta motorable.
“We don’t differentiate,” he said, stressing that the welfare of road users remained the overriding consideration.
The commissioner described the NDDC project as a significant intervention that would improve movement along the Benin-Sapele corridor and strengthen commercial activities connecting Delta with other parts of the country.
He appealed to residents, community leaders and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors and protect the project from activities capable of delaying its completion.
Aniagwu also raised concern over the vandalism of public infrastructure, citing the discovery of damaged components on the First Niger Bridge. He warned that tampering with structural components of bridges could pose serious risks to motorists and other road users.
Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the commission’s intervention followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to address the hardship caused by the condition of the road.
He said the Benin-Sapele route should be viewed as a national economic corridor rather than merely a regional road because of its role in connecting the South-South with other parts of the country.
Ebie said the commission would deploy the contractors from opposite ends of the affected stretch to speed up the reconstruction.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, apologised to commuters, residents and community leaders over the difficulties caused by the failed portions of the highway.
Ogbuku said President Tinubu became concerned about the condition of the road after receiving complaints and seeing videos showing the difficulties experienced by road users.
He said the NDDC subsequently worked with the Federal Ministry of Works, obtained the necessary design and secured approval for the affected section to be handed over for immediate intervention.
According to him, the project covers a strategic stretch between Benin, Ologbo Junction and Sapele, where the condition of the road had contributed to gridlock, prolonged journeys and disruption of economic activities.
Ogbuku said the commission and the Ministry of Works would work together to ensure that the reconstruction complies with the original design and delivers a durable road.
Giving details of the project, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Victor Antai, said approximately 15.4 kilometres would be reconstructed with rigid concrete pavement.
He identified China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Ronin and Fan Limited as the two firms engaged for the work.
Antai urged communities along the route to support the contractors and allow the project to proceed without unnecessary disruption.
The NDDC also disclosed that it was taking steps to terminate and re-award the contract for the Abraka-Obiaruku-Abavo-Agbor Road following difficulties encountered by the previous contractor.
The Delta State representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Hon. Monday Igbuya, commended the commission for taking over the reconstruction and urged it to consider extending similar intervention to the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor and Sapele-Warri roads.
Senator Ede Dafinone and Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu also commended the Federal Government and the NDDC for responding to the condition of the Benin-Sapele corridor.
The reconstruction is expected to ease the movement of passengers and goods, reduce delays along the route and support economic activities in communities connected by the highway.
