Edo Refinery repairs failed Benin-Warri Road sections to avert accidents

From Tony Osauzo, Benin

Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd and SODEOSA Global Resources have begun palliative repairs of failed portions of the busy Benin-Warri Road in an intervention aimed at improving access and preventing accidents involving trucks and other vehicles.

The companies said the intervention, undertaken as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), covers damaged sections of the highway between Iyanomo and Koko Junction.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of SODEOSA Global Resources, Solomon Uyiekpen, said the repairs were intended to make the badly affected portions passable, particularly for heavy-duty vehicles.

“The area we are covering is the failed spots between Iyanomo and Koko Junction. What we are doing is palliative work to make the road accessible to trucks and other vehicles plying the busy road,” Uyiekpen said.

Chairman of Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd, Ologbo, Mike Osime, said the intervention was informed partly by concerns over the danger posed by the poor condition of the road to motorists, particularly trucks and fuel tankers.

He recalled an incident on the road a few years ago in which several people trapped in a traffic gridlock reportedly died after a fuel tanker caught fire.

“It is better to intervene and fix the road to prevent trucks and tankers from falling and avert such incidents from happening,” Osime said.

He said the refinery had previously intervened in the repair of failed portions of the Benin-Warri Road as part of efforts to improve safety and ease movement along the corridor.