Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ede Dafinone, has said sustained behind-the-scenes pressure and constructive engagement with the Federal Government and relevant agencies were instrumental in securing the emergency rehabilitation of the long-neglected Benin-Sapele-Effurun Expressway.
Dafinone, who spoke after the flag-off of the emergency intervention and rehabilitation of failed sections of the highway at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele, on Friday, said the development was evidence that “quiet, persistent and purposeful engagement” could deliver more tangible results than public grandstanding.
The senator commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Niger Delta Development Commission, and the Delta State Government for responding to mounting concerns over the deplorable condition of the strategic road, which links major communities and economic centres across the Niger Delta.
He said, “This is clear evidence that our sustained engagement with the Federal Government, its agencies and the executive arm of government is yielding tangible results.”
Dafinone said he deliberately avoided turning his interventions into a media spectacle, insisting that his priority as a representative of the people was to secure solutions rather than publicity.
“As your Senator and representative of our people, we deliberately chose the path of critical and constructive engagement because our primary responsibility is to get things done.
“I do not believe that every intervention must be turned into a public spectacle. Sometimes, quiet, persistent and purposeful engagement produces better results than media engagement, especially when we are one government,” he said.
The senator disclosed that the speed with which the NDDC responded to the road crisis demonstrated what could be achieved when government institutions and political representatives worked collectively.
According to him, the NDDC inspected the affected portions of the highway stretching from Benin through Sapele to Effurun on Tuesday and returned by Friday to flag off the rehabilitation.
He described the rapid response as commendable, saying it had given motorists, commuters, businesses and communities along the corridor renewed hope of relief.
“Though this is coming now, I have been working—engaging the relevant authorities, applying pressure and pushing for concrete action.
“I believe results, not rhetoric, should define our efforts, and today, those results are speaking for themselves,” Dafinone stated.
He also credited the Delta State Government, particularly the relevant officials, for adding its weight to the intervention and helping to turn the demand for urgent action into a collective government effort.
“This has become a collective push, and that is the way to achieve meaningful results for our people,” he added.
The intervention covers about 15 kilometres of some of the worst sections around Ajomata/Ibada, Elume, Amukpe and Oghara.
However, Dafinone warned that the intervention was only a beginning, stressing that several other failed Federal Government roads in Delta Central still require urgent attention.
“Our goals may not have been met, but I am particularly pleased that the intervention which covers 15km of the worst portions of Ajomata/Ibada–Elume–Amukpe–Oghara is being targeted; our people need more.
“There are so many more failed sections of Federal roads in Delta Central, and I will continue to push and press the necessary buttons,” he said.
The senator further disclosed that the rehabilitation was being executed from both ends of the affected corridor to ensure that attention was not concentrated on one section while other portions remained impassable.
He said his interest was not in claiming political credit for the project but in seeing the road fixed and restoring relief to road users.
“My concern is not about who takes the credit; my concern is that the road is fixed and our people get relief,” Dafinone said.
He expressed optimism that the rehabilitation would be completed promptly, saying the ultimate measure of the intervention would be the relief it brings to motorists, businesses and residents who have endured the deteriorating road for years.
