Senator Oshiomole said the deplorable state of the Benin-Auchi-Lokoja road has forced smaller vehicles to opt for longer alternative routes through Ondo state, in other to avoid gridlock caused by the failed portions of the road.
The Red Chamber of the National Assembly has called on the federal government to mobilise contractors to site and further stem the deplorable state of Benin-Auchi-Lokoja Road.
The call was contained in a motion sponsored by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), who decried the bad state of the Benin-Auchi-Lokoja road, linking the South East and South South States to the Northern parts of the country.
Oshiomole noted that following repeated complaints from commuters, the road reconstruction contract was awarded to Dantata and Sowoe, Reynold Construction Company, Mother Cat and GIG Company in 2012 by Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration.
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He also informed that the Federal government in January 2023, as part of the Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme Phase, further approved the sum of N75 billion to hasten the reconstruction of the road.
The lawmaker expressed concern at that the slow pace of work on the road, adding that certain portions of the roads have failed completely and become a nightmare to motorists especially, because heavy-duty trucks spend days in the same spot without movement thereby, preventing smaller vehicles from navigating their way through the road.
According to him, “the condition of the road has compelled smaller vehicles to opt for longer alternative routes through Ondo state totally out of their discretion in other to avoid many kilometers of gridlock and sometimes inability to maneuver through the failed portions.”
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Furthermore, he lamented the difficulties travellers currently encounter while paying exorbitant transport fares.
“Transporters now hike their fares during to increased hours of time it takes for them to arrive at a journey that they would otherwise spend less time to arrive at, thereby passing the buck to the passengers and travelers who now pay astronomically high fares to their destinations.”
Consequently, the Senate urged President Tinubu to grant approval for the augmentation of cost on the road through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing pending the constitution of the Federal Executive Council for ratification.
It also urged the “Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to as a matter of urgency, commence repairs on the failed portions of the roads, provide adequate funding to complete the reconstruction of this road, and come up with a plan to settle all lingering issues bordering on the dualistic of the road with contractors and also review the terms and conditions of the contract to meet current realities of inflation.”
