Relief may be on the way for thousands of drivers stuck for months on the Benin-Asaba highway.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Wednesday ordered the company handling the road to leave the site immediately. He said the firm has failed to fix the road and should write the Federal Government to end its contract, as reported by Champion Newspaper.
Speaking at a meeting in Edo Government House, Benin, Umahi said the concessionaire, Benin Asaba Expressway Concession Company, has not added any value to the project.
“You should be removed from this site. You don’t have the capacity to fix this road,” the minister said. He also asked the company to clear all blockages causing traffic jams right away.
Umahi directed the Ministry of Works to get the Independent Engineer to measure the work done so far. He warned that any bad work, including asphalt removed against the contract, will not be paid for. The cost of repairs will also be added.
To ease the pain on road users, he said the bad parts should be rebuilt quickly under the Independent Engineer. He also asked BAECC to provide a proper drainage plan, return all removed asphalt, and stop water from flowing onto the road.
But BAECC’s Head of Legal, Peterson Fabian, pleaded for more time to talk. “This is not final. Let us engage more so we can find a way forward,” he said.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh called the situation terrible. He said the wrong company was given the job. “This is a big lesson on concessions in Nigeria,” he noted.
Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo said he was disappointed. After 16 months, he said, nothing has changed on the road.
“The suffering is too much, especially for Edo people. This is a waste of money. If they were serious, part of the road would have been done by now,” Okpebholo said. He urged Umahi to act fast because the road is important to the whole country.
The meeting ended with the Works Ministry set to start the process of ending the concession and fixing critical parts of the road to end the gridlock.