Says Tinubu will win 2027 presidential election
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The federal government is exploring legal options, including the possible invocation of the “law of necessity” on grounds of overriding public interest, to end the concession agreement inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari for the reconstruction of the Benin-Asaba Road.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, disclosed that the government had become increasingly concerned about the prolonged deterioration of the strategic highway and the suffering being experienced by motorists and other road users.
Umahi, who spoke during an inspection of Phase 2B of the Second Niger Bridge at the Nkwerre-Ezunaka section of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway at the weekend, said although the Bola Tinubu administration inherited the concession arrangement with Africa Plus Partners Limited, it would not allow the agreement to become an excuse for the continued neglect of the road.
The Benin-Asaba road in Edo and Delta states was one of the 12 major federal highways selected for concession under the pilot phase of the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) during Babatunde Fashola’s tenure as Minister of Works and Housing under the Buhari’s administration.
Umahi stressed that while the federal government was bound to follow due process in dealing with the concession agreement entered into by the previous administration, the overriding interest of Nigerians would remain paramount.
“Our hands are tied by the concession agreement that was entered before this administration. But overriding public interest is such that we are watching them, and if this suffering continues, we’ll invoke the law of necessity for overriding public interest,” Umahi stated.
The minister disclosed that the Ministry of Works had already formally notified the concessionaire of its default and was considering the legal options available to the federal government.
Rather than immediately terminating the concession agreement, Umahi said the government had assembled about seven contractors and offered to allow them to intervene on the road without imposing any cost on the concessionaire.
However, he said the concessionaire declined the offer, insisting that it would undertake the rehabilitation of the road itself.
“They say, ‘No, we will fix it.’ So if we had said no, then they would now go and start earning money from the federation account, which has been our fear. So we are watching them. We’ve left them. Let them fix the road,” he explained.
The Benin-Asaba Road is one of the major transport corridors linking the South-west with the South-east and South-south, but its prolonged deterioration has subjected commuters and businesses to difficult travelling conditions, with growing public concern over the pace of intervention on the highway.
Umahi, however, rejected suggestions that the poor state of the road was evidence of the marginalisation of the South-east, maintaining that the Bola Tinubu administration had undertaken several major infrastructure interventions along the Lagos-South-east transport corridor.
He pointed to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which has improved movement from Lagos towards other parts of the country, including the South-east, as well as ongoing rehabilitation works on the route towards Ore.
The minister stated that the President had directed the use of concrete pavement on a 48-kilometre section of the road because of the difficult terrain and persistent deterioration experienced on the corridor.
According to him, one carriageway of the 48-kilometre section has already been completed, while construction is progressing on the second carriageway. He added that solar lighting and tree planting were also being incorporated into the broader road improvement programme.
Umahi also expressed confidence in Tinubu’s political prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the administration’s infrastructure investments and engagement with the South-east were strengthening support for the President in the region.
He said the growing acceptance of progressive candidates in recent off-cycle elections, particularly in Anambra State, reflected what he described as increasing confidence in the Tinubu administration and its policies.