President Bola Tinubu has ordered the redesign and total reconstruction of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road and other major federal highways across Edo State and adjoining corridors, as the Federal Government moves to tackle worsening road conditions that have disrupted transportation, damaged vehicles and increased the cost of doing business nationwide.
The directive came on Tuesday as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the troubled Benin-Agbor-Asaba road in Edo State, while the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, visited the Ifaki-Oye-Kabba and Efon-Iwaraja roads in Ekiti State, where motorists and residents have endured prolonged delays and hardship.
Umahi apologised to commuters and took responsibility for the condition of the Benin-Asaba road, while condemning the concessionaire handling its reconstruction. He ordered steps towards the total reconstruction of the highway, stressing that palliative works would not be sufficient to resolve the problem.
When The PUNCH visited the Benin axis of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road on Tuesday, it was in a terrible state, though the gridlock of the past two weeks on the road had eased.
Further findings by our correspondents in other parts of the country revealed that federal roads were in dilapidated state.
