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Minister of Works David Umahi has lambasted the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) over the deteriorating condition of the Benin-Asaba Highway, accusing the concessionaire of lacking the technical competence required to execute the project.
Umahi made the remarks in Benin City while conducting an on-the-spot assessment of the highway following widespread public outrage over its deplorable condition, which recently left motorists stranded for days at several failed portions.
The minister expressed particular concern over the removal of existing asphalt without the construction of adequate side drains, warning that such actions amounted to the destruction of public assets.
According to him, the concessionaire would have been arrested for removing asphalt from the existing road without approval.
“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.
The minister directed the ministry to arrest any concessionaire found removing asphalt from existing federal roads without authorisation.
Addressing BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Daramola, the minister accused the company of manipulating the concession process and questioned its technical capacity to handle 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,” Umahi said.
He added that the Federal Government had been compelled to intervene because of the danger posed to motorists and commuters.
“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.
He further revealed that President Bola Tinubu had directed the redesign of roads from Kogi through Edo State to Warri, with concrete pavement to be considered for the reconstruction.
“We need total reconstruction of this road and not this palliative,” he declared.
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The visibly angry minister also said the Federal Government would engage competent contractors to restore the failed portions of the highway, while directing that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) be approached to fix the worst sections around Asaba.
Responding to the minister, BAECC CEO Samuel Daramola attributed the slow pace of work to heavy rainfall and intense vehicular traffic.
He said the company had expanded sections of the highway to eight lanes and carried out palliative works, but was struggling to execute drainage works because of the volume of 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 explained.
According to him, the company was sometimes forced to reopen sections of the road before construction materials had adequately cured because of the need to keep traffic moving.
He, however, assured that BAECC remained committed to completing the project and protecting its reputation.
The representative of the project consultant, Engr. Toyin Akinlapa, contradicted the concessionaire’s position, 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.
Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Hon. Akin Alabi, called on President Tinubu to review the agreement with the concessionaire and consider a broader review of similar road concessions.
He said the Federal Government must ensure that concessionaires had the technical and financial capacity to deliver quality infrastructure, stressing the need for immediate palliative measures to restore movement along the highway.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh described the condition of the Benin-Asaba Highway as “despicable,” while Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, commended President Tinubu for his 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 time frame.
