_1137.png)
Breaking News
Share
adsThe deplorable state of both federal and state roads in Edo State is no longer news. The story did not start today, as the situation has persisted for more than 10 years. This prompted the Adams Oshiomhole-led administration in the 2010s to take it upon itself to embark on the reconstruction of several federal roads in the state. The state government’s investment was, however, reimbursed by the Federal Government with about N20 billion to the Godwin Obaseki-led administration during his first tenure. Since then, instead of citizens seeing improvement, the situation has been the reverse. From the Lagos-Benin Expressway, Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi-Abuja Road, Benin-Sapele Road, Benin-Agbor Road, Uromi-Agbor Road, Benin-Akure Road, Iruekpen-Afuze-Auchi Road and Auchi-Igarra Road, among others, the story has remained that of sorry states. The deplorable roads have not only affected the free flow of vehicular movement but have also negatively affected the lives and livelihoods of citizens. In August 2026, the situation of bad roads in the state re-echoed with the harrowing experiences of motorists and commuters plying the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road. adsads One of the cases involved a family travelling from the eastern part of the country with a corpse towards the western part of the country. The family lamented spending three days in the gridlock with no headway, as vehicles remained trapped on the highway. The stranded passengers raised concerns that after spending three days on the road, the ambulance carrying the corpse was also trapped behind them and could begin to smell if the situation persisted. According to the passengers, we’ve been stuck for three days. The ambulance carrying a corpse is trapped in the Agbor-Benin gridlock. The corpse could begin to smell if the situation persists. Due to the gridlock, the ambulance could not move forward. As a result, the family had to return the corpse to the mortuary to avoid any health-related hazard.adsads Some motorists also lamented being on the road for more than three days, while others spent several hours on journeys that ordinarily should take a fraction of the time. Read also: EFCC, FBI probe alleged diversion of USAID funds ‘A journey that took hours now takes more than a day’ Reeling out his experience on the road, Chris Nehikhare, a former commissioner for Information and Orientation during the administration of Godwin Obaseki, in his write-up on From My Window, titled, ‘The road to Akpo: When coming home became the story’ lamented that a journey he and some members of his family made to Ekwulobia, Anambra State, 12 years ago, which took only hours during one of his younger brother’s traditional marriage had now taken more than a day in a recent visit to Akpo, a community in the same Anambra State on August 22, 2026 for the burial ceremony of his cousin’s father. Nehikhare said they left for Akpo on August 22, 2026, and also left the community early in the morning on August 23, with the expectation of arriving back in Benin the same day. Unfortunately, due to the gridlock, they arrived in Benin on August 24, 2026. According to him, heavy trucks, trailers and other vehicles desperate to escape the disaster on the major highways had begun diverting onto roads never designed to carry such traffic. “Others struggled through. And in the process, they were destroying the roads. Our quiet village routes had effectively become emergency interstate highways. In sleepy Evboehighae, the consequences were unbelievable. “Traffic stretched into hundreds of vehicles. Imagine that. A community road suddenly carries the consequences of the collapse of a federal highway. “Articulated vehicles were damaging village roads. Motorists desperate to escape the gridlock were driving through private compounds, creating makeshift routes and causing damage to people’s property. “People who had nothing to do with the failure of the federal highways were now paying the price for that failure. “This is how infrastructure collapse spreads. One major road fails. Traffic diverts. The alternative road deteriorates. Vehicles move into another community. That road collapses. “Before long, what began as the failure of one federal highway became a regional transportation crisis. A road does not ask whether the person driving on it is APC, PDP, Labour or APGA. “A broken-down truck does not ask how you voted before blocking the highway. And the trader whose goods cannot reach the market does not suffer differently because the road is labelled ‘Federal’. “When a major highway collapses, everybody suffers. Businesses, farmers, transporters, families, communities, the economy and ultimately, the government itself suffers a loss of credibility. “The Benin-Auchi Road does not become motorable because a government official announces that work is ongoing. The Benin-Agbor Road does not become acceptable simply because responsibility can be transferred to Abuja. “And Edo people do not experience less hardship because the road on which they have been stranded for hours carries the prefix ‘Federal’. “When federal infrastructure within its territory deteriorates to the point where citizens are spending hours trapped on roads, businesses are losing money, vehicles are being damaged and village roads are being destroyed by diverted interstate traffic, the state government must speak. “A journey that 12 years ago allowed us to leave Benin in the morning, travel to Anambra State, for a traditional wedding ceremony and return home the same evening has deteriorated to the point where simply returning from Anambra crossed into another day,” he stated. Nehikhare is not the only one in this scenario. Others, like Samuel Eghosa, a resident of the state, also recounted his recent experience while travelling to Edo Central. Eghosa, who described the journey as unpalatable, said it was an ordeal he would not want to experience again. Related News NIFST, ISA, consumer groups seek evidence-based approach to Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners The hidden cost of credit ratings on Africa’s development ADC vs APC in Rivers: Diaspora group says Pidomson will not beg any man for guber ticket, Ogoni not violent “Actually, some of the federal roads in Benin have been in a dilapidated condition. A lot of commuters and travellers have been finding it very difficult. “Even myself, I had that terrible experience on Saturday when I was travelling to Edo Central. If not for the help of the escorts, it would have been quite an unhealthy situation for me,” he said. He noted that Edo’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s economy makes the rehabilitation of major federal roads and others more than a local demand, adding that it is an investment in national connectivity, commerce and safety. He maintained that until urgent action is taken, motorists and commuters will continue to face the same grim reality: roads that should connect communities and drive economic activity are steadily becoming roads to ruin. He added that for Edo residents, the demand is straightforward: the federal roads must be restored before the damage becomes even more costly to reverse. Eghosa opined that the state cannot continue to bear the economic and human cost of highways that are supposed to facilitate movement but increasingly obstruct it. On his part, David Odion, who also shared the lamentations of others, said the deplorable condition of the roads from Delta State to Benin stretched journeys into several exhausting hours. “The poor state of the road forced us to manoeuvre through different communities in an effort to avoid the worst sections,” he added. He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene and accelerate the rehabilitation of the affected highways, stressing that residents and other road users desperately need relief. Umahi visits Edo, faults concessionaire Following the public outcry over the state of the Benin-Auchi Road, David Umahi, minister of Works, decided to visit the state to assess the condition of the road. Though this was not the first time the minister would be coming to the state to attend protests over bad roads, he had on several occasions visited the Benin-Sapele Road, where he promised to fix the road within the shortest possible time. The promise, however, has not been achieved until now. During the visit, the minister accused the concessionaire of the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) of lacking the technical capacity required to deliver the project to the expected standard. The road’s failed sections have reportedly caused severe traffic disruptions, with some motorists stranded for days. The minister expressed particular outrage over the concessionaire’s decision to remove sections of the existing asphalt without first providing adequate side drainage. He described the action as reckless destruction of public infrastructure and blamed it for worsening the condition of the already distressed highway. He, however, warned that such actions would not be tolerated, stressing that the concessionaire had no justification for tampering with the existing road without the necessary approvals and proper engineering measures. “Under normal circumstances, the concessionaire could have been arrested for removing asphalt from the existing roadway without authorisation. This action is unacceptable and a clear indication of poor project management. “The Ministry of Works does not allow the removal of asphalt. We begged them not to remove it. The concessionaire should have been arrested for destroying public property,” he stated. The minister directed the ministry to arrest any concessionaire found removing asphalt from existing federal roads without authorisation. Also, the minister accused Samuel Daramola, the Executive Officer of BAECC, of manipulating the concession process and questioned the company’s technical capacity to handle a major highway project. “You manipulated the process to get the job. You have no knowledge of road construction. You don’t know what you are doing. You have no technical staff or competence,” Umahi said. He added that the Federal Government had been compelled to intervene because of the danger posed to motorists and commuters. “The President has directed us to do whatever is possible to fix this road. The law is there; there is overriding public interest. It is also the fault of the government for not finding out the competency of concessionaires. “You are learning how to do construction on our road. This is dangerous,” he said. He further revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed the redesign of roads from Kogi through Edo State to Warri, with concrete pavement to be considered for the reconstruction. We need total reconstruction of the road and not palliative The minister also said the Federal Government would engage competent contractors to restore the failed portions of the highway, while directing that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) be approached to fix the worst sections around Asaba. For motorists, commuters, traders and residents who have endured the worsening condition of the roads, however, the demand remains simple: urgent and lasting intervention is needed to return the highways to their original purpose — connecting people, communities and businesses, rather than turning ordinary journeys into days of hardship.
Share Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date Open In Whatsapp
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE BDSunday NIFST, ISA, consumer groups seek evidence-based approach to Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners BDSunday Utomi-led group targets grassroots mobilisation, vote protection ahead of 2027 election BDSunday The hidden cost of credit ratings on Africa’s development
