The Presidency has blamed the contractor handling the Benin-Agbor-Asaba expressway for the deplorable condition of the major highway and the severe gridlock that recently left motorists and commuters stranded for days.
Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, said the contractor failed to meet its obligations, stressing that the Federal Government moved to address the crisis as soon as the situation became critical.
Dare made the remarks on Channels Television on Wednesday while reacting to the worsening condition of the road and the government’s intervention.
“Whatever played out yesterday, we had all the stakeholders there. And it’s important that even the contractor came out, even though he gave excuses, it showed a failure on their part,” he said.
The highway, which links Benin City in Edo State with Agbor and Asaba in Delta State, had been plagued by severe congestion for almost two weeks. The situation left motorists and commuters stranded for prolonged periods and disrupted the movement of goods between the two states.
Traders transporting perishable goods along the route were particularly affected, with the prolonged delays reportedly causing significant losses to some businesses.
Dare said the government had a responsibility to identify roads requiring intervention and provide funding for their rehabilitation, but contractors were equally obligated to execute the projects to the required standard.
“Government has a responsibility to identify the roads that need to be fixed. Government has a responsibility to provide the funding. And then, the next responsibility goes to the contractors to do what is necessary,” he said.
He commended the intervention led by David Umahi, Minister of Works, alongside members of the National Assembly and other stakeholders, describing their response as evidence of the government’s willingness to address infrastructure challenges.
Umahi inspected the troubled highway on Tuesday, apologised to motorists and commuters for the hardship caused by the road’s condition and acknowledged the need for urgent intervention.
Following the inspection, the minister directed steps towards the total reconstruction of the highway, maintaining that temporary palliative repairs would not provide a lasting solution to the problem.
Dare, however, described the situation as an isolated failure and cautioned against using the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road crisis as the sole measure of the Federal Government’s performance on road infrastructure across the country.
He said the swift response by the Works Ministry, National Assembly members and other stakeholders demonstrated what he described as responsible governance.
“What we saw yesterday, the Minister, the National Assembly members, and other key stakeholders going there in record time, right on the spot. And I think that’s what good governance is about, responding as quickly and as swiftly as possible, putting the blame where it is, and requesting for immediate action,” Dare said.