Benin-Agbor-Asaba road failure contractor’s fault, say Presidency

The Nigerian Presidency has characterized the recent failure on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway as an isolated incident, asserting that the Federal Government responded promptly. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, emphasized on Channels Television that the situation should not be used to generalize the state of road projects nationwide, noting that many other federal roads are progressing without similar issues.

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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 explained that while the government is responsible for identifying repair needs and securing funding, contractors are obligated to execute projects properly. He acknowledged that the contractor involved gave excuses but stated their failure was evident. His comments followed an inspection by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who apologized for the highway's condition and took responsibility, condemning the concessionaire and ordering a complete reconstruction after concluding palliative measures would be insufficient.

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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.

When visited on Tuesday, the Benin axis of the road was found to be in poor condition, though a persistent two-week gridlock had eased. Dare highlighted the rapid intervention by the Works Minister, National Assembly members, and other stakeholders as a demonstration of good governance and swift response to infrastructure challenges. He reiterated that the government's role is to identify needs and provide funds, with contractors bearing the responsibility for proper execution. The incident on the Benin-Asaba road, he maintained, does not reflect the status of all ongoing federal road projects.

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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.