By Brenda Izu
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an emergency rehabilitation of the 136-kilometre Benin-Asaba Highway with complete a redesign concrete pavement to ease transportation in the central southern corridor.
Meanwhile, the federal government has also announced the concellation of the concession arrangement earlier entered with Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC).
The Benin-Asaba Highway, which connect the South-South, South-East, South-West and North Central, has remained a topic of discussion following its deplorable State since it was concessioned to the construction firm by the federal government.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, disclosed Tinubu’s directive on Thursday in Benin City during the flag-off of the “Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road” intervention, saying that President Tinubu was very concerned about the condition of the all-important highway.
The event, attended by Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, representatives of the Delta State Government and officials of the Federal Ministry of Works, came after public outcry from commuters plying the route.
Umahi said the decision followed the failure of BAECC to meet the conditions presented by the Federal Government for the continuation of the concession arrangement.
He explained that the government had presented three options to the concessionaire to salvage the agreement, but none was accepted, while the concessionaire also failed to provide satisfactory evidence of funding for the project.
He said the situation had compelled the Federal Government to intervene in the interest of road users, stressing that the government could no longer allow motorists and commuters to continue suffering on the strategic corridor.
“The President has directed, whether under concessioning or under the takeover of the Ministry of Works, that the entire 136km dualisation should be redesigned on reinforced concrete pavement,” Umahi said.
The Minister, however, clarified that the emergency rehabilitation works currently taking place on the corridor had not been awarded to Hi-Tech, CCECC, CBC or any other contractor, contrary to reports suggesting that a contractor had been appointed.
Umahi explained that the Ministry of Works had instead hired equipment belonging to contractors operating within the corridor to undertake temporary intervention works, while additional equipment was being sourced.
“What we have done as responsible public servants, the staff of the Ministry of Works, is to hire the equipment of some contractors within this corridor, namely equipment of Hi-Tech, equipment of CCECC, CBC, and we are still sourcing for more equipment,” he said.
He said the emergency operation was expected to substantially improve the condition of the road within four weeks, with immediate attention directed at the Benin Bypass and other severely failed portions of the corridor.
The Federal Ministry of Works had earlier announced that the condition of the concessioned road had reached a point where public interest had to take precedence over the existing concession arrangement, leading to the deployment of equipment for emergency intervention.
As part of the intervention, Umahi also announced plans to reconstruct the bridge on the slope of Ikpoba Hill in Benin City.
The bridge forms part of the strategic connection between the Benin-Asaba corridor and the Benin Bypass, and its reconstruction is expected to address structural and traffic concerns along the route. AIT reported that the Minister specifically announced the reconstruction of the bridge during the flag-off ceremony.
The Federal Controller of Works in Edo State, Engineer Babatunde Tajudeen, had earlier described the Benin-Asaba Highway as a major federal corridor linking the South-South, South-East and parts of the South-West, stressing its importance to passenger movement, freight transportation and commercial activities.
Tajudeen said restoring the road would improve access to other parts of the country, describing Edo as a gateway through which traffic moves to several other states.
Also speaking, the Director of Highways, Bridges and Design at the Federal Ministry of Works, Engineer Saidu Musa, explained the technical approach being adopted by the ministry.
Musa said the ministry had proposed the removal of the existing failed plain layer in sections requiring immediate attention, with reinforced concrete pavement to be introduced as part of the palliative intervention ahead of the comprehensive redesign of the entire corridor.
He had earlier explained that the Federal Government was also working on access infrastructure connected to the Second Niger Bridge, with the access project awarded in March 2025 at a cost of N148 billion and about 4.4 kilometres of dual carriageway already executed at the time of his earlier briefing.
The renewed intervention on the Benin-Asaba corridor is expected to proceed in phases, beginning with emergency works designed to restore movement while the Federal Government undertakes the detailed redesign and prepares for permanent reconstruction.
Umahi also provided clarification on the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Edo State.
He said the route would pass through the Benin Bypass before connecting towards the Benin-Warri corridor and subsequently through Delta and Bayelsa, a configuration he said would improve connectivity while helping to divert heavy through-traffic away from central Benin City.
The Minister said the alignment would strengthen commercial connections within the Niger Delta and complement the broader road infrastructure being developed across the region.
The Works Ministry also indicated that lessons from the Benin-Asaba concession would inform future public-private partnership arrangements.
Umahi said the ministry would insist on stronger financial guarantees and verified evidence of funding before future road concessions are entered into, with greater emphasis on the capacity of concessionaires to deliver projects within agreed timelines.
The Benin-Asaba Highway was concessioned under the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative, HDMI, through a Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement. The concession agreement with BAECC was executed in May 2023.
