Obaseki pins bad state of Edo roads on FG

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has accused the Federal Government of being responsible for the terrible state of federal roads in the state.

The governor’s accusation comes after a viral video showed the governor’s entourage stuck in a place suspected to be Benin-Sapele Road on Saturday.

In an immediate response to the viral video, Obaseki spoke to Channels Television, explaining why the Benin-Sapele road, the Benin-Auchi road, and several others have remained in bad shape, putting motorists, commuters, and other road users through painful experiences.

The governor blamed the federal government for deliberately abandoning these roads. He said the FG was unwilling to work out an arrangement that would give his administration the legal backing to repair the roads and be reimbursed in the near future.

He also narrated the painful experiences road users on the Benin-Auchi road go through daily. He explained that on one occasion, trucks conveying food, livestock, and other passenger vehicles were trapped for almost two weeks on that road.

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Commuters who usually pass through that road have complained that kidnappers use that road to kidnap unsuspecting victims.

Governor Obaseki said, “I was on Sapele Road recently. After the heavy downpour, the road was impassable. What is going on on Benin-Sapele Road is scandalous. I don’t think that any region where the oil resources that sustain the Country come from should be neglected. We have done everything possible. We don’t know what to do again to draw the attention of the federal government to these roads.

“The Auchi-Ibillo Road was so bad that some of our contractors couldn’t go to their quarry site. We appealed to the Federal Government to do palliative work on that road, but they refused, saying the road is under contract. If I want to do the same for Benin-Sapele Road, I am not allowed to do so. They claim the road has been given out to a contractor.

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“Last year, the Benin-Auchi Road was locked for about two weeks as food, animals, and petroleum products could not reach their destination. We don’t want such situations this year, so they should help us. We are not here to criticise them but to appeal for help.”

He urged the Federal Government to come out with a clear policy concerning the repairs of roads in the country.

He said he doesn’t see anything wrong with the Federal and State governments having a clear policy on the repairs of federal roads in a way that makes everybody happy.

“At a point, they said we could apply and take over the repair of federal roads, but I am yet to see a state they have given Federal roads to fix,” he stated.

Monday Idemudia, who runs an ice cream distributorship business on the popular Benin-Sapele Bye Pass road, complained about the terrible state of the road, saying that the road has affected sales. He urged the government to do everything possible to repair this road. He said that the road has been in a bad state since the beginning of the administration of Governor Obaseki.

“We are really tired of this road,” Idemudia said in a phone conversation with BusinessDay. “It affects business really badly. To drive to ring road or any part of Benin City is a real challenge that I hope the government can fix.”