You Are A Disappointment, Umahi Tells Benin-Asaba Expressway Concessionaire

...You should have been arrested for destruction of public assets

From Chris Akhabue, Edo

There was a mild drama yesterday in Benin City, Edo State, when the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, alongside the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, inspected the ongoing rehabilitation and expansion of the Benin-Asaba Expressway.

The Minister expressed strong displeasure over the deplorable condition of portions of the strategic highway, particularly the manner in which the existing asphalt had been removed without adequate measures to protect the underlying road structure.

Umahi, who was visibly angered by the state of the road, openly confronted the concessionaire handling the project, accusing the company of incompetence and poor execution.

He also commended Governor Okpebholo for intervening to calm residents and commuters whose frustration, he said, could have resulted in civil unrest.

“Governor, we want to thank you. Without you, there would have been an outbreak of riots on this road because of the shoddy job the concessionaire has done so far,” Umahi said.

Expressing his disappointment with the concessionaire, the Minister said the Federal Government took responsibility for the situation while warning that the removal of asphalt from federal roads without authorisation constituted a serious violation.

“I am very, very disappointed with this concessionaire, and I offer my apologies. I take full responsibility for the misdeed and the destruction of public assets by the concessionaire,” he said.

According to him, the conditions of the concession agreement did not permit the contractor to indiscriminately remove asphalt from the road.

“I have the conditions of contract here with me. The Ministry of Works does not allow anybody to remove the asphalt or the road as the concessionaire has done on this road. That is against the policy of the Ministry of Works,” he stated.

Umahi recalled that he had previously visited the road with Governor Okpebholo and expressed concern when the contractor commenced the removal of the asphalt.

“We frowned at it, and we begged them not to remove the asphalt, but yet they did,” he said.

The Minister further warned that contractors or concessionaires who remove asphalt on federal routes without proper approval would face arrest.

“But you should have been arrested for the destruction of public assets. It has nothing to do with concessioning law or anything. And I am directing all controllers to arrest any contractor or concessionaire that removes asphalt on our routes,” he declared.

Umahi questioned the technical capacity of the concessionaire, asking why the company accepted responsibility for a major federal highway if it was not adequately prepared to manage the peculiar challenges associated with the project.

“This road was not like this before we handed it over to you. It was not like this,” he said.

The Minister also dismissed the concessionaire’s explanation that heavy traffic was responsible for the situation, asking whether the company had not properly assessed the road and traffic conditions before accepting the project.

“Did you not see the road very well before you decided to take the contract? You ran through every way to manipulate the process, and you got the job. Now you are complaining because you lack technical competence,” Umahi said.

He added: “You don't know what you are doing. You have no technical competence. You have no technical staff. And now you have brought untold hardship on the people.”

Umahi, however, admitted that the Federal Government also bore responsibility for failing to sufficiently verify the technical competence and track record of the concessionaire before the contract was awarded.

He said the government ought to have investigated previous projects executed by the company and assessed its technical capacity before entrusting it with such a strategic gateway connecting Edo and Delta state and other parts of the country.

The Minister also challenged the concessionaire's claim to having a strong reputation in infrastructure development.

“You are talking about reputation and integrity. Where else have you done work before? You are learning how to do construction on a federal road,” he said.

Umahi subsequently apologised to residents of Ikpoba Hill, the people of Edo State, motorists and other road users affected by the deteriorating condition of the highway.

He described the situation as “provocation at the highest level” and assured the people that the Federal Government would expedite measures to correct the damage and restore the road to a motorable condition.

Governor Okpebholo, on his part, appealed to residents and commuters to remain calm, assuring them that the government would intensify efforts to resolve the situation within the shortest possible time.

Also speaking during the inspection, the Chairman of Ikpoba Hill Youths Forum, Comrade Kingsley Osemwingie, told the Minister that the deplorable condition of the highway was adversely affecting the image of the state government.

He described Governor Okpebholo as a “working governor,” but expressed concern that the condition of the road was capable of undermining the administration's efforts and generating public dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba Expressway, (BAECC) Mr. Samuel Daramola, apologised to the people of Edo State over the condition of the road.

Daramola, who appeared visibly embarrassed by the criticism, attributed some of the challenges to heavy traffic and torrential rainfall, while assuring the government and residents that the company would accelerate rehabilitation works.

He said the project was being financed entirely by the private sector and expressed the company's commitment to completing the project within the stipulated period.

“I will deliver the dividends of democracy to everybody. Even though the road is built completely 100 per cent with private sector money, we are committed to ensuring that this road is concluded in record time,” Daramola said.

However, a member of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) team, Engr. Izunobi Ebere, attributed the slow progress of the project to inadequate equipment, poor traffic management and what he described as deficiencies in the concessionaire's construction methodology.

Ebere explained that the project was handed over to the concessionaire in March 2025 with a mandate to expand and modernise the highway.

According to him, the contractor failed to adequately manage traffic during construction and initially did not provide sufficient signage to guide motorists through diversions and work zones.

He said the PPP team had repeatedly instructed the concessionaire to install appropriate signage at strategic locations but noted that compliance had remained inadequate.

Another major concern, he said, was the contractor's methodology, particularly the failure to adequately address drainage before commencing pavement works.

“They are supposed to put the drains well to direct the water out before they start working on the pavement. But they work on the pavement without drainage, thereby causing water to enter and spoil the road,” Ebere explained.

He further criticised the practice of excavating long stretches of the highway and leaving them exposed to rainfall.

According to him, removing asphalt from a road that had consolidated for more than two decades and exposing its underlying layers to water significantly weakened the structure and contributed to further deterioration and traffic congestion.

He also alleged that the concessionaire had failed to consistently comply with technical instructions issued by the project monitoring team, resulting in slow progress.

Ebere disclosed that the project was scheduled for completion within 36 months, but after 16 months of work, only about 10 per cent of the project had been completed.

He expressed concern that the current pace of construction raised questions about the concessionaire's ability to meet the completion deadline.

“This is what is causing all the suffering for the commuters, and we do not want it to continue,” he said.

The inspection ended with renewed assurances from the Federal Government, the Edo State Government and the concessionaire that urgent measures would be taken to address the deplorable sections of the Benin-Asaba Expressway and alleviate the hardship faced daily by motorists and residents.