By Prevail Inegbenose
The Federal Government has ordered immediate emergency repairs on the three sections of the troubled Benin-Asaba Road as the worsening condition of the highway continues to cause hardship for motorists and commuters.
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The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, directed major contractors within the corridor to immediately mobilise to the failed sections of the road, with the Federal Government to bear the cost of the intervention.
The decision followed a deadlock between the Federal Government and the concessionaire over government intervention on the road.
Umahi had visited the Benin-Asaba Road about a week ago and directed contractors to prepare for palliative works. However, the concession agreement requires the consent of the concessionaire before the Federal Government can intervene, and such consent was not granted.
According to a statement issued by the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the Federal Government subsequently offered the concessionaire three options that would have allowed emergency works to commence, but none was accepted.
The statement said the situation became worse after the minister’s visit, with the concessionaire’s already limited equipment on the road reportedly reduced to just one machine.
With the worsening condition of the highway, the ministry said the public interest had become paramount.
Umahi has consequently ordered immediate intervention on all three sections of the road and directed the complete redesign of the route for reconstruction with reinforced concrete pavement.
The ministry said the emergency works would restore the failed portions, while the subsequent concrete reconstruction would provide a permanent solution.
The government also announced fresh interventions on several other major highways across the country.
On the Benin-Sapele Road, the Edo and Delta state governments, the Niger Delta Development Commission and the Federal Government are working on different sections, with both palliative and permanent works ongoing.
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The Ifaki-Ekiti-Kabba Road is also receiving attention, with the Federal Government engaging Gamji Nigeria Company Limited and Dangote PLC on emergency and permanent repairs to the worst-affected portions.
On the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina Road, contractors including CBC, SETRACO, Triacta and Mothercat are being remobilised to site following the redesign and rephasing of the project. More than 50 kilometres of one carriageway from Sokoto towards Zamfara have been completed with reinforced concrete pavement.
The Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road is also progressing, with the 118-kilometre Lot 1 completed, mostly with reinforced concrete pavement, while the 164-kilometre Lot 2 is more than 60 per cent complete. The entire route is scheduled for completion by December 2026, with solar-powered lights being installed along the corridor.
The ministry said emergency works were also ongoing or being planned on the Bauchi-Jigawa, Sagamu-Ore, East-West, Abuja-Lokoja and Lokoja-Benin-Warri roads.
On the Carter Bridge, weekly maintenance of its underwater components is continuing, while CCECC has commenced work on a permanent replacement bridge.
The government is also determining the appropriate intervention for defective underwater structural elements of the Third Mainland Bridge.
Meanwhile, work has commenced on the flooded section of the Lagos-Ibadan Road, while flood-damaged sections of federal roads across the six geopolitical zones are being identified for urgent intervention.
The First Niger Bridge has been closed to traffic to allow comprehensive rehabilitation, while repairs are also ongoing on the approach roads to the Second Niger Bridge.
The Federal Ministry of Works said the Tinubu administration inherited a severely deteriorated road network in 2023 but was currently working on more than 80 per cent of inherited federal roads.
It said the administration’s increasing use of reinforced concrete pavement was designed to produce roads capable of lasting between 50 and 100 years.
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The ministry acknowledged concerns over the condition of some roads and the hardship faced by motorists but said the scale of the inherited infrastructure deficit made it impossible to resolve every challenge within three years.
It appealed to Nigerians to continue reporting failed roads and other infrastructure problems while also informing the ministry when reported problems had been resolved.