Poor state of roads in Edo

Most federal and state-owned roads are gradually turning into death-traps and hotspot for bandits and kidnappers. I am appealing to President Buhari to repair the roads. Potholes are ubiquitous on Nigerian roads but there are gaping holes in the road leading from Benin-Abuja. There are deep gullies on Benin-Warri road, Benin-Asaba road and Benin-Abuja road. […]

Most federal and state-owned roads are gradually turning into death-traps and hotspot for bandits and kidnappers. I am appealing to President Buhari to repair the roads.

Potholes are ubiquitous on Nigerian roads but there are gaping holes in the road leading from Benin-Abuja. There are deep gullies on Benin-Warri road, Benin-Asaba road and Benin-Abuja road. Upon closer inspection, the depths of the holes are posing potentially dangerous consequences for vehicles driving past.

There is need for more cooperation with the Highway Controllers, even though the core mandate of FERMA is road maintenance, and that highway maintenance is very critical to increase in productivity and creation of jobs which is the goal of the present administration.

A journey from Benin to Ekpoma, which ordinarily should take not more than between 45 minutes and one hour, now takes more than two hours, while a journey from Bénin to Okenne through Auchi takes up to six hours! The sections of the road that are particularly bad include Okpella, Ekpoma and Ehor. Sadly, as motorists make effort to avoid the bad spots as they pass through Okpella community, the locals block the road and demand for money before they would allow them to pass.

Of all the major highways in Edo State, the Bénin-Okenne-Abuja and Benin-Ore-Lagos are the most strategic for travelers across the country. The two roads connect the South-West and the North to the South South and South East. There is heavy vehicular traffic on the roads, especially during festive periods.

The public outcry about the deplorable condition of the Bénin-Okenne highway had led to remedial work being done on it, but the heavy rains in recent times have destroyed the palliative work and rendered it impassable. The numerous potholes on the road are now giving motorists nightmares. At Obagie village near Ugha, the road has been cut off completely. Ehor Junction near Jehovah’s Witness has a big pothole that causes serious traffic jam while the conditions of many other sections of the road make travelling a tortuous affair.

The condition of Benin-Abuja road is the consequence of years and years of neglect and that is why this administration is doing a number of road works concurrently to address this issue. The Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi axis of the road had been a recurring nightmare, dreaded by inhabitants and visitors to Benin City especially during rainy season. The attempt by the Federal Ministry of Works to shirk its responsibility to keep this axis motorable by not fixing the axis for over a decade is particularly painful to the people and residents of Benin City due to the huge economic importance of this road. Travelers spend days on the road from Lagos to Benin on a journey that ordinarily would have taken a little over five and a half hours. On entering Benin, they are subjected to further logjam lasting several hours occasioned by waist deep flood waters at three particular points along the road. Shockingly, rather than redesign the road to take care of the flooding challenges, the Federal Ministry of Works has chosen to only patch the potholes, relay the asphalt overlay and install “New Jersey” median. The contract does not include drainage works in Benin City, a strange decision considering the fact that flooding remains the main cause of the road’s failure over the years.

A Central Bank of Nigeria research found that: “The annual loss due to bad roads is valued at billions of naira, while additional vehicle operating cost resulting from bad roads is valued at billions of naira”.

I am appealing to President Buhari for adequate appropriations and releases in the annual budget circles, as well as any other special interventions to enable the FERMA perform at its best. Benin-Abuja road had been abandoned (maintenance wise) over the years and became particularly dilapidated during the period starting around 2003 up till now. The road has been the reason for public outcry and outrage for over a decade being the primary cause of fatal accidents and unreasonably extended journey times due to its scandalous state.

 

Inwalomhe Donald writes from Benin City [email protected]