By Ayodele Quadri, Lagos Times Correspondent
BENIN CITY, EDO STATE — Minister of Works Senator David Umahi has ordered the immediate termination or revocation of the concession agreement handling the dualisation and maintenance of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway.
The directive follows an emergency site inspection of the collapsed corridor in Benin City, where severe road failure caused multi-day gridlocks and stranded hundreds of heavy haulage trucks and interstate commuters along the critical commercial link between the South-West, South-South, and South-East.
Key Highlights of the Ministerial Order
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Contract Termination: Umahi expressed anger over the slow pace of work and lack of capacity shown by the concessionaire, instructing federal highway legal directors to initiate contract revocation procedures immediately.
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Direct Federal Takeover: The Ministry of Works will take over direct supervision and emergency intervention along the corridor, partnering with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Edo and Delta State Governments.
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Concrete Pavement Mandate: In line with President Bola Tinubu’s emergency intervention directive, the corridor will be completely redesigned using rigid concrete pavement rather than conventional asphalt to withstand heavy axle loads and seasonal flooding.
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Immediate Traffic Relief: Contractor machinery and emergency grading teams were deployed to clear broken-down vehicles and lay crushed stone along failed sections near the Benin Bypass to reopen flow within 24–48 hours.
“We cannot allow commuters and economic transport to be held hostage by incompetent contractors. The concessionaire has failed to deliver, and we are revoking the arrangement. President Tinubu has mandated a total reconstruction with concrete pavement, not temporary palliatives.”
— Senator David Umahi, Minister of Works
