By Egufe Yafugborhi
ASABA — Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has ordered the immediate mobilisation of major contractors to all three sections of the troubled Benin-Asaba Road, saying public interest must take precedence over the existing concession agreement.
Umahi, in a statement on Wednesday, said the condition of the highway had reached a stage where contractual constraints could no longer frustrate urgent government intervention.
According to him, “The Benin-Asaba Road situation has reached a point where overall public interest must take precedence over the existing concession agreement.”
The minister recalled that during his recent visit to the road, he assembled contractors and directed them to prepare for palliative works. However, he said the concession agreement required the consent of the concessionaire before the Federal Government could intervene.
“Permission was not granted,” he said, adding that he subsequently presented three options to the concessionaire, but “none of the options was accepted.”
Umahi said that after he left Asaba, the equipment deployed to the road was reduced to just one, making meaningful intervention impossible.
He has now directed the immediate mobilisation of major contractors to the three sections of the road, with the Federal Government to bear the cost of the emergency works.
The minister also ordered the immediate redesign of the entire Benin-Asaba route for reinforced concrete pavement, saying the measure would provide a more durable solution to the persistent deterioration of the highway.
The latest directive comes as the Federal Government has commenced emergency repairs on the ageing First Niger Bridge, popularly known as the Onitsha Headbridge.
The bridge was closed to traffic on Monday, September 7, for emergency maintenance scheduled to run until September 21.
The intervention involves removing the deteriorated asphalt surface and laying an approximately 40mm asphalt wearing course, as well as repairing damaged bridge components affected by vandalism.
The Federal Government has directed motorists to use the Second Niger Bridge through Obosi towards Asaba and other destinations during the closure.
Solar-powered streetlights and closed-circuit television, CCTV, cameras are also to be installed as part of measures to improve safety and curb vandalism.
Umahi said other critical federal roads were also receiving urgent attention, including Benin-Sapele, Ifaki-Kabba, Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, Bauchi-Jigawa, Sagamu-Ore, East-West Road, Abuja-Lokoja, Lokoja-Benin-Warri and sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Highway.
He said the Federal Government was working on more than 80 per cent of inherited federal roads, stressing that the administration was committed to delivering infrastructure capable of serving Nigerians for decades.
“Concrete pavement is designed to last between 50 and 100 years. The concerns of Nigerians are legitimate, and we are listening. But we cannot resolve every challenge accumulated over the years within three years,” he said.
The minister said the emergency interventions were part of efforts to restore critical transport corridors and reduce the hardship being experienced by motorists and businesses across the country.
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