Sylvester Idowu in Warri
Motorists and travelers plying the deplorable Benin- Sapele would soon heave a sigh of relief as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commenced the reconstruction of the failed road in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive.
Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, while flagging-off the exercise at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele in Delta State end at the weekend said the commission commenced the reconstruction following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to address the hardship faced by motorists along the corridor.
Ebie said two contractors would be deployed to work from opposite ends of the project to accelerate completion, stressing that the Benin-Sapele Expressway was a critical national economic corridor linking the South-South with other parts of the country.
He also disclosed the NDDC had commenced steps to terminate and re-award the contract for the Abraka-Obiaruku-Abavo-Agbor Road following challenges encountered by the previous contractor.
In his address, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, apologised to residents, community leaders and commuters for the hardship caused by the deplorable condition of the road, assuring them that relief was on the way.
Ogbuku said the intervention followed complaints and videos of the road’s condition received by President Tinubu.
He added that the NDDC had engaged the Federal Ministry of Works, obtained the project design and secured approval for the immediate intervention.
Giving details of the project, NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, said the 15.4-kilometre reconstruction would be executed with rigid concrete pavement.
He said China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Ronin and Fan Limited had been engaged to execute the project.
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for commencing the reconstruction of the failed Benin-Sapele Expressway.
Oborevwori, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, described the intervention as a major boost to connectivity, economic activities and the wellbeing of residents and motorists.
He said the project demonstrated the importance of collaboration among governments and agencies in addressing infrastructure challenges in the Niger Delta.
The governor recalled his administration had also intervened in several federal road corridors because the ultimate beneficiaries were Deltans, regardless of whether the roads were under federal or state jurisdiction.
He said the state had spent over N300 billion on federal road corridors, including the construction of more than five kilometres of rigid-pavement dual carriageway along the Warri axis, as well as bridges and flyovers at Otovwodo Junction, DSC Roundabout, PTI Junction, Enerhen Roundabout and Uromi Junction in Agbor.
“We don’t differentiate,” the governor said, describing the NDDC intervention as a welcome development that would ease transportation and boost economic activities across Delta State and the wider East-West corridor.
He appealed to residents and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors to ensure timely completion of the project.
Oborevwori also urged residents to stop vandalising critical infrastructure, warning the recent discovery of damaged components on the First Niger Bridge could compromise its structural integrity and endanger motorists.
The Delta representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Hon. Monday Igbuya, commended the commission and appealed for similar interventions on the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road and Sapele-Warri Road.