South-South Roads Remain Deplorable Despite Contributions

The federal road network in Nigeria's South-South region is in a dire condition, a stark contrast to the zone's substantial contributions to the national economy. Etim Etim points out that despite the region's vast hydrocarbon deposits and significant role in Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings, its federal roads are among the worst in the country.

For over 25 years, major federal road infrastructure projects have been scarce. The recently completed 40-km Bonny-Bodo Road, awarded by the Buhari administration, stands as a rare exception. Before this, the last major federal highway construction in the region was the Benin-Asaba expressway during the Obasanjo administration, with Chief Tony Anenih serving as the Minister of Works. Even during President Goodluck Jonathan's tenure, when another Edo indigene, Mike Onolememen, was Minister of Works, federal road development in the South-South lagged significantly.

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You manipulated the process to get the job. You have no knowledge of road construction. You don’t know what you are doing. You have no technical staff or competence.

The situation has become a daily nightmare for travelers. A recent video captured people clearing bush paths in Delta State to navigate traffic jams caused by severe potholes on the Benin-Asaba Road. Travelers were stranded for days near Agbor, forced to sleep in their buses and the surrounding bush, leading to despair and frustration.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, expressed his dismay upon witnessing the road's condition. He directly confronted the concessionaire responsible for the road's reconstruction under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement. Umahi accused the concessionaire's CEO, Samuel Daramola, of lacking the technical capacity and competence for such a major project. He specifically criticized the decision to remove existing asphalt without first constructing adequate drainage, a move that exposed the road to erosion and destroyed public property. Umahi stated that the Ministry of Works prohibits such asphalt removal and suggested the concessionaire should have been arrested for damaging public infrastructure.

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The Ministry of Works does not allow the removal of asphalt. We begged them not to remove it. The concessionaire should have been arrested for destroying public property.