By Mokobia Rita.
ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has welcomed the Federal Government’s emergency intervention on the deteriorating Benin-Asaba Road, saying the move is critical to easing the hardship faced by motorists and restoring economic activities along the corridor.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, spoke on Thursday in Benin City during the flag-off of the “Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road” intervention.
Aniagwu said the condition of the highway had imposed significant difficulties on commuters, transport operators and businesses, particularly those dependent on the route for the movement of people and goods between Edo, Delta and other parts of the country.
He described the Benin-Asaba corridor as an important economic link between the South-South and South-East regions, stressing that restoring the road would have implications beyond the immediate communities along the highway.
“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,” Aniagwu quoted the governor as saying.
Oborevwori commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, for responding to the deteriorating condition of the highway and urged that the emergency works be executed with urgency.
The governor’s representative also pointed to Delta State’s intervention on federal road infrastructure, citing the work carried out on the Warri-Sapele Road between the U-turn at the Spare Parts Market and Ohore Junction, where the state constructed a section using concrete rigid pavement.
He said the state remained willing to support initiatives aimed at resolving critical infrastructure challenges and welcomed the Federal Government’s efforts to rehabilitate the First Niger Bridge.
At the event, Umahi explained that the immediate intervention on the Benin-Asaba Road was designed as a temporary measure to restore movement on badly affected sections while arrangements for a permanent solution are developed
The minister clarified that the emergency rehabilitation was not awarded as a conventional contract to Hi-Tech or any other contractor. Rather, the Federal Ministry of Works is hiring and deploying equipment belonging to contractors operating along the corridor, including Hi-Tech, CCECC and CBC.
Umahi said the intervention was expected to make substantial progress within four weeks, with attention initially directed towards the Edo axis, including the Benin Bypass. He added that additional equipment was being sourced to intensify the operation.
Beyond the immediate repairs, the minister disclosed that President Tinubu had directed the redesign of the 136-kilometre Benin-Asaba dual carriageway with reinforced concrete pavement as part of the long-term reconstruction plan.
According to Umahi, the Federal Government had presented three options to the road concessionaire for the continuation of the existing arrangement, but the options did not produce an agreement, prompting the ministry to pursue an emergency intervention in the public interest.
He also alleged that the concessionaire had failed to meet certain obligations under the concession arrangement. Those claims are part of the Federal Government’s stated justification for its intervention, while questions surrounding the legal status and termination of the concession have also been raised publicly.
Umahi said supervising engineers would be deployed along the affected sections to monitor the intervention and ensure that the work meets required standards.
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who also spoke at the event, thanked the Federal Government for responding to the worsening condition of the highway and urged those involved in the intervention to maintain quality and adhere strictly to approved specifications.
The Benin-Asaba Road has in recent weeks become a major source of concern for motorists following failed sections, heavy traffic and prolonged delays along several parts of the corridor. Reports have highlighted particularly difficult conditions around the Benin Bypass and other sections of the route.
The Federal Government’s immediate intervention is expected to provide temporary relief to road users while the proposed redesign and broader reconstruction of the strategic highway are pursued.
