Umahi orders CCECC to fix Benin-Asaba Road in two weeks

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has told the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to repair damaged parts of the Benin-Asaba Highway in Delta State. He gave them a deadline of 14 days to complete the repairs.

Mr Umahi announced this on Thursday during a visit to the Asaba area of the Second Niger Bridge access road. He showed concern about the poor condition of the road sections around Ubulu-Okiti and Onicha-Ugbo, which have caused serious problems for drivers.

Many drivers and passengers are facing tough times on the highway. Reports say some people have spent days stuck in traffic.

A report by Vanguard on Wednesday revealed that some drivers have been stuck on the Benin-Asaba road for up to four days due to damaged sections, heavy traffic, and detours. One truck driver told the paper that a journey from Lagos to Benin, which usually takes about four hours, took him three days to complete after reaching Benin.

Another driver, who was transporting raw materials from Lagos to Asaba, said he left Lagos on August 20 and got to Asaba on August 23. He was stranded for two nights in Agbor.

A passenger travelling with her two-year-old son shared her experience. She said she spent two nights sleeping in a bus at Agbor because she could not afford to pay for a hotel.

Mr Umahi has instructed CCECC to repair the service lanes where asphalt was removed during construction.

“I am giving you 14 days to fix the access, the service lane you removed the asphalt. You have to fix it immediately, whether you are paid or not. It is my right to insist that you fix it to lessen the problem of the people,” he said.

He also told the contractor to quickly address the issues on sections between Chainage 103 and 105, as well as Chainage 106 and 107. This covers about four kilometres of dual carriageway and will be done under an emergency arrangement.

The minister’s order was shared in a report on the official X account of the Delta State Government and also covered by The Nation newspaper.

Mr Umahi mentioned that the Federal Ministry of Works could fix the affected sections within 14 days but is limited by the existing concession agreement for the road.

He said the federal government has already reached out to the concessionaire about their failure to properly maintain parts of the road.

In earlier comments, Mr Umahi described the concessionaire’s work on the road as poor. He also apologised to commuters for the difficulties caused by the bad road conditions.

Mr Umahi reinforced the federal government’s commitment to the N148 billion Second Niger Bridge access project being managed by CCECC.

He stated that the project has completed 4.47 kilometres of dual carriageway, which is about 26.7 per cent finished.

He said this project is crucial because of the importance of the Second Niger Bridge and the age of the First Niger Bridge, which has been in use for more than sixty years.

“The goal is to use that Second Niger Bridge. If the First Niger Bridge collapses, all the good work on the Second Niger Bridge will be wasted,” he said.

The minister noted that funding under the NNPC tax-credit scheme has stopped, but President Bola Tinubu has approved a new funding plan to keep the project going.

“I encourage you to please go ahead, you will be paid,” Mr Umahi told the contractor.

Charles Aniagwu, Delta Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, represented Governor Sheriff Oborevwori during the inspection. He praised the minister’s action.

Mr Aniagwu said the state of the federal road from Benin through Asaba to the Niger Bridge has become a big concern for road users.

He added that this intervention would help ease movement and support local businesses along the route.

The worsening state of the highway has also alarmed residents and business owners. Vanguard reported that businesses along the road are suffering as movement becomes increasingly difficult.