The Presidency has attributed the recent failure of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway to the contractor handling its reconstruction, describing the development as an isolated incident.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the Federal Government responded swiftly after the incident by deploying the Minister of Works, David Umahi, National Assembly members and other stakeholders to the affected section.
Dare spoke on Channels Television on Wednesday while commenting on the deplorable condition of the highway and President Bola Tinubu’s directive for its redesign and total reconstruction.
He said the incident should not be used to judge the performance of all federal road projects across the country, noting that several roads had either been completed or were progressing without similar complaints.
“I think that first, these are isolated cases. And we all know by the nature of road construction, during rainy season, you encounter problems like this,” Dare said.
According to him, while the government is responsible for identifying roads requiring intervention and providing funding, contractors are expected to deliver quality projects.
“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.
His comments came a day after Umahi inspected the troubled highway in Edo State and apologised to motorists over its condition.
The minister also condemned the performance of the concessionaire handling the reconstruction and directed moves towards the total reconstruction of the road after concluding that palliative repairs would not provide a lasting solution.
The Benin axis of the highway was found to be in poor condition when visited on Tuesday, although the severe traffic gridlock that had lasted for about two weeks had eased.
Dare said the immediate intervention by the Works Ministry and other stakeholders demonstrated the administration’s commitment to responding promptly to infrastructure challenges.
“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.
The presidential aide also defended the pace of road construction nationwide, saying some temporary inconveniences were inevitable as major projects were being executed in phases.
Dare cited the Abuja-Lokoja corridor, where he said he recently travelled with about 65 journalists and observed completed portions as well as sections where concrete construction was ongoing.
He explained that road construction, like building a house, is a gradual process, with motorists sometimes required to use existing portions of a highway while new sections are being completed.
Dare further disclosed that the Federal Government was currently executing major road projects across the country, including five legacy roads and about 320 other roads.
He said the projects reflected Tinubu’s emphasis on infrastructure development and praised the Ministry of Works for implementing the administration’s road construction programme.
“Is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on top of what’s happening? Absolutely. We’re talking about five legacy roads; we’re talking about 320 roads across the length and breadth of our country,” Dare said.
The renewed government attention to the Benin-Agbor-Asaba corridor followed growing complaints about its worsening condition, which has disrupted transportation, damaged vehicles and increased the cost of movement and business activities along the route.
