FG Moves In On Collapsed Benin-Asaba Highway, Begins Emergency Rescue After Concessionaire Failure

FG Moves In On Collapsed  Benin-Asaba Highway, Begins Emergency Rescue After Concessionaire Failure

Habiba Sam 

Worried by the total collapse and crippling gridlock on the 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba highway, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate emergency rehabilitation of the critical federal road.

The President, who was represented by Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, at the flag-off of the emergency works in Benin , said the intervention was a direct response to the outcry and untold hardship faced daily by motorists and residents along the Edo-Delta corridor.

According to President Tinubu, the Benin-Asaba road was earlier concessioned under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) with a three-year delivery timeline, but the company failed to live up to the terms of the agreement.

Tinubu maintained that the federal government could no longer fold its arms while Nigerians suffer.

“We are not here today to witness the commencement of another road project. We are here to witness 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,” the President declared.

In his remarks, Governor Okpebholo appreciated President Tinubu for listening to the complaints of commuters and intervening swiftly. He also commended the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for his commitment to fixing federal roads across the country.

The governor charged the contractors mobilized for the emergency intervention to deliver quality and timely work without compromise.

“To the new contractor, 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,” Okpebholo stated.

He further appealed to host communities and road users to remain patient and cooperate with workers on site, assuring that their pains have been heard at the highest level.

On his part, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, explained that the Federal Ministry of Works had taken over immediate palliative works on the highway in overriding public interest. He clarified that the emergency rehabilitation was not awarded to Hi-Tech or any other company, as the ministry directly hired equipment for the operation.

Umahi disclosed that over 50 heavy-duty equipment have already been deployed to site, with more expected in the coming days.

He revealed that the federal government was forced to take over the road after all efforts to get the concessionaire to act failed, adding that the company turned down several options proposed by the ministry despite a clause requiring government to obtain its permission before intervening.

According to the minister, major contractors have been directed to simultaneously work on three critical sections to restore failed portions, while the entire 125km stretch will be redesigned for full reconstruction using reinforced concrete pavement to guarantee durability.

He said the emergency works will urgently address sections where the asphalt had been scraped off, leaving the base exposed to rainfall and causing further deterioration.

On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi announced that its realignment would now commence from the Benin bypass through Delta and Bayelsa to Eleme Junction, a move aimed at diverting heavy traffic from the state capital and enhancing connectivity across the Niger Delta.

Also speaking, Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, who was represented by his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, described the Benin-Asaba corridor as a nightmare for travelers and commended President Tinubu for the timely intervention.

“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. This road needs to come back alive,” Oborevwori said.

He stressed that the primary purpose of government as enshrined in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution is the security and welfare of the people, noting that the corridor had suffered untold hardship due to the inability of the concessionaire to align with the federal government’s intentions.

“The Federal Government has today deemed it fit to give life back to this particular artery that connects not only the commercial centres in the South-East but also the burgeoning business centres in Delta and indeed Edo State. This very profound decision is well recognised and appreciated,” he added.

The emergency intervention is expected to restore motor ability on the completely failed sections of the highway pending its total reconstruction.