President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently intervene on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba highway, where severe gridlock has trapped motorists for days and disrupted interstate movement.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced the directive on Tuesday in a statement issued by his media aide, Francis Nwaze.
Umahi said the President ordered immediate corrective action to restore movement along the corridor and ease the hardship being faced by commuters and traders.
“President Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently intervene and ensure that necessary corrective actions are taken to restore movement on the affected roads as quickly as possible,” Umahi stated.
The minister said he had arrived in Benin, Edo State, on Tuesday with members of the National Assembly Committees on Works to assess the situation and begin discussions on remedial measures. The meeting is expected to include officials of the Edo and Delta state governments as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The gridlock, caused by failed sections and deteriorating stretches of the highway, has brought movement along the major interstate route to a near standstill. Some travellers were reported to have abandoned their vehicles and trekked to seek alternative transport, while the movement of goods and commercial activities along the corridor has also been affected.
On August 20, residents and motorists staged a protest over the condition of the Benin-Agbor bypass. Videos from the protest showed vehicles struggling through severely damaged and muddy sections of the road.
Umahi accepted responsibility on behalf of the ministry and apologised to affected road users. He assured that the government would deploy immediate measures while working on permanent solutions.
“We are determined to take immediate corrective measures while working towards permanent solutions,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the Minister of State for Works had been directed to lead another team to the Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti axis for urgent remedial works, following a similar presidential directive. The team was already on site as of 10.00 hours on Tuesday.
Umahi stressed that the government’s response to both road crises would combine emergency interventions with long-term repairs to improve reliability.