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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has lambasted the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) over the deplorable state of the Benin-Asaba Highway, accusing the concessionaire of lacking the technical competence to handle the project and warning that contractors who destroy existing federal roads risk arrest.
Umahi spoke in Benin City during an on-the-spot assessment of the highway following widespread public outrage over its deteriorating condition, which recently left motorists stranded for days at several failed portions.
The minister, who apologised to motorists over the hardship, expressed anger over the removal of existing asphalt without the construction of adequate side drains, describing the action as destruction of public assets.
“I commend Governor Monday Okpebholo for his intervention on several federal roads across the state.
“He is not saying this is a federal or state road. I apologise to commuters plying this road.
“I am disappointed with the concessionaire. I take full responsibility for their misdeeds and destruction of public assets.
“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,” Umahi said.
He directed officials of the ministry to ensure that any concessionaire found removing asphalt from an existing federal road without authorisation was arrested.
Addressing BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Daramola, Umahi accused the company of manipulating the concession process and questioned its technical capacity to undertake a major highway project.
“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,” he said.
Umahi said the Federal Government had been compelled to intervene because the condition of the highway had become dangerous to motorists and other road users.
“The President has directed us to do whatever is possible to fix this road. The law is there; there is overriding public interest. It is also the fault of government for not finding out the competency of concessionaires.
“You are learning how to do construction on our road. This is dangerous,” he said.
Umahi disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had directed the redesign of roads stretching from Kogi through Edo State to Warri, with concrete pavement being considered for the reconstruction.
“We need total reconstruction of this road and not this palliative,” he said.
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He said the Federal Government would engage competent contractors to restore failed portions of the highway and directed that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) be approached to urgently fix the worst sections around Asaba.
Responding, BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Daramola, blamed the slow pace of work on heavy rainfall and the high volume of traffic on the highway.
Daramola said the company had expanded sections of the highway to eight lanes and undertaken palliative works but was struggling to execute drainage works while simultaneously managing traffic.
“We are wrestling with the weather as much as we want to keep to the scope of work. We have to choose between doing side drains and combating heavy traffic,” he said.
According to him, the company was sometimes forced to reopen sections of the highway before construction materials had adequately cured because of pressure to keep traffic moving.
He, however, said BAECC remained committed to completing the project and protecting its reputation.
But project consultant representative, Toyin Akinlapa, contradicted the concessionaire, saying the company had ignored professional advice on the proper sequence of construction.
“The concessionaire did not heed our instructions. We told them to first do the drains, but they ignored us, and that affected the road.
“The company had some challenges in its technical team,” Akinlapa said.
House Committee on Works Chairman, Akin Alabi, called on Tinubu to review the agreement with the concessionaire and consider a broader review of similar road concession arrangements.
Alabi said the Federal Government must ensure that concessionaires possess the technical and financial capacity to deliver quality infrastructure, stressing the need for immediate palliative measures to restore movement along the highway.
Allwell Onyesoh described the condition of the Benin-Asaba Highway as “despicable,” while Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, commended Tinubu for what he described as the President’s prompt response to the plight of motorists and residents.
Okpebholo urged residents to disregard what he described as opposition narratives circulating on social media, saying the Federal Government’s intervention demonstrated its commitment to addressing the crisis.
The Benin-Asaba Highway was concessioned to BAECC in 2025 for transformation into a 10-lane expressway.
The concessionaire had earlier assured that the project would be completed within the agreed timeframe.
