Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, faced a difficult situation at the RCC junction on Sapele Road, Benin, Edo State.
Heavy rain caused severe flooding, rendering the road impassable.
A video of the incident circulated online, with a voice urging viewers to share it, highlighting the consequences of leaders’ inaction.
The voice emphasized that the government’s temporary measures, like filling potholes with broken blocks, were inadequate, and now everyone, including leaders, suffers from the road’s collapse.
“The governor is the one inside the vehicle but it has stopped moving. This is his vehicle (pointing at it), he cannot come down as he is ashamed. Everyone is feeling the brunt of bad policies in the country,” he added.
Despite the challenging situation, the convoy eventually moved away from the flooded road.
Governor Obaseki expressed his concern that the state government cannot intervene in fixing the Benin-Auchi and Benin-Sapele roads, as the Federal Government has already awarded contracts for their repair.
He emphasized that these major Federal road networks connecting different parts of the country are in poor condition.
No action taken despite appeal to FG
The governor’s administration has consistently appealed to the Federal Government to address the repairs of these damaged Federal Roads in Edo State.
No action has been taken yet on the roads, including the Benin-Auchi Roads, Benin-Sapele Road, and the Benin-Lagos Road, specifically the Ovia River Bridge.
He said, “Look at the incident that happened on Ovia River Bridge three weeks ago, in which we lost several lives following multiple accidents. Nothing has been done till now. This shows they don’t care about us in the State.
“The issue on the Benin-Lagos Road, particularly the Ovia River Crossing is becoming catastrophic. We have lost a lot of lives and done everything to get the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Works to work with us and put in place a palliative measure to stop the carnage on that road.”
‘Govt.’s policy confusing’
On Sapele Road, he said: “I was on Sapele Road recently. After the heavy downpour, the road was impassable. What is going on in Benin-Sapele Road is scandalous. I don’t think that any region where the oil resources that sustain the country come from should be neglected. We have done everything possible. We don’t know what to do again to draw the attention of the federal government to these roads.”
“The Auchi-Ibillo Road was so bad that some of our contractors couldn’t go to their quarry site. We appealed to the Federal Government to do palliative work on that road but they refused, saying the road is under contract.
The authorities claim to have given the Benin-Sapele Road to a contractor, so I am not allowed to work on it.
“Last year, the Benin-Auchi Road experienced a two-week lockdown, as food, animals, and petroleum products couldn’t reach their destinations. We don’t want such situations this year so they should help us. We are not here to criticize them but to appeal for help.”
The governor pointed out that the federal government’s policy regarding these roads has become confusing.
In the past, states could rehabilitate Federal roads and then present the bills to the Federal Government for reimbursement.
However, this option is no longer available, causing further challenges in addressing the poor condition of these critical road networks.
“At a point, they said we can apply and take over the repair of federal roads but I am yet to see a state they have given federal roads to fix,” he noted.