The Benin-Ore-Lagos Road is eating too much money

by Ugo Okeke

The Federal Government recently approved the sum of N147.4 billion as additional funds for road projects in the country. The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, who disclosed this recently, said the council reviewed the progress on two major roads, Benin-Ore-Lagos as well as Okene-Benin Expressway.

The Benin-Ore road has been a nightmare for travellers for more than two decades. Lives have been lost and goods worth billions of naira have also been lost or damaged due to frequent road accidents occasioned by crater-like potholes in most sections of this all-important route between the east and west of Southern Nigeria.

Previous governments attempted repairs, but most of the work done was more or less cosmetic, especially on the Ore-Okada Junction axis between Edo and Ondo States.

In the 1970s when it was built by Dumez, travellers needed only a comfortable three hours between Benin city and Lagos. But that joy of easy travel lasted only a few years. Collapsing sections yielded the phenomenon of full-time, year-round budgeting for endless repairs.

Going down memory lane, in this article we take a look at how much has been spent on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Benin-Ore road from 2001 to date.

On 21 August 2001, Information and National Orientation Minister Jerry Gana announced a N1.7 billion contract for emergency repairs of the Sagamu-Benin Road to Piccolo-Brunelli Engineering Ltd.

In February 2004, the government announced “Operation 500 Roads,” to rehabilitate a total of 26,400km of roads, including Benin-Sagamu; and in October, “Operation 1000 Roads” and 32,000 kilometres, at a cost of N85.8 billion.

Previous governments attempted repairs, but most of the work done was more or less cosmetic
Previous governments attempted repairs, but most of the work done was more or less cosmetic

In November 2005, the Senate, citing “the deteriorating state of our federal highways and the increase in the spate of road accidents,” specifically on the Lagos-Ibadan and Sagamu-Benin highways, asked its Committee on Works to investigate FERMA and the Ministry of Works.

On October 16, 2006, Olubunmi Peters, the Managing Director of FERMA, announced the government had approved N6 billion for repairs on the road. On 21 December 2006, the government gave RCC a further N7.5 billion contract for rehabilitation work on the road.

In Feb 2007, Solel Boneh International received a $52 million contract for renovating the “Lagos-Benin” expressway.

In August 2007, the new Minister of Transportation, Diezani Allison-Madueke, reportedly broke down when she visited and saw the deplorable condition of the road. Soon after that, she disclosed that the Obasanjo government had spent over N450 billion on roads in its eight
years.

In April 2009, the government approved N376.4 billion for 30 road contracts nationwide, including two sections of Sagamu-Benin, part of 26 road projects worth N116.57 billion.

In September 2011, during a courtesy visit to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Minister Mike Onolememen explained that the real problem with the Benin-Ore part of the road was the water table being very high, and that every construction methodology had been defeated because in the rainy season the road would be washed away. The governor expressed shock that neither contractors nor the Minister’s predecessors had identified and corrected this issue. The N16 billion reconstruction/asphalt overlay of the Benin-Ofosu section, by RCC, continued.

In October 2012, Solel Boneh won a three-year $390 million contract to widen and pave the Sagamu-Benin road, and rebuild drainage and water channel.

In April 2013, SURE-P was said to have invested N16.5 billion on the road.

As of September 2014, The Federal Executive Council approved the award of a contract for the construction and asphalt overlay of Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu dual carriageway Phase IV:‎ Ajebandele-Shagamu KM162 + 586 (Ondo State to KM 261 + 000 (Ogun) in Ogun state in favour of Messrs RCC Nigeria Limited in the sum of N71,648,176,867.38 with a completion period of 48 months.

From the figures above, it’s quite obvious the federal government has spent a chunk of money on the Benin-Ore road, which could have been used to finance other projects.

Worse, most of these contracts for the construction of these roads were awarded to foreign engineering firms that spend most of their income
developing the economy of their parent country.

It’s high time the federal government started looking to award these contracts to indigenous companies such as Lubrik Construction Company, Technovas Construction Company Limited, Hapel Nigeria limited, and so on, who have at least as much expertise as the foreign companies.

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A version of this first appeared on the Engineering Network.

Comments (16)

  1. I used to live in a locale in Ogun state where since existence remains untarred but which amongst other roads around are listed as ‘tarred’ in the local Government’s archives with money voted every year for their supervision and maintenance. The only maintenance we get is an annual grading with tractor which only further exposes the underlying soil and nearby fences to erosion. With the resulting sand deposited in the valleys being scooped into tippers for sale by the so called ‘Comnunity Development Association’ excos. We have a long way to go in this country

  2. What do u think no v road they user woo!!!

  3. They arent spending anything.

  4. Well written .that place needs serious attention.

  5. We have problems in all the sectors in the country. useless government

  6. so we still have issues with roads in this country????? na wa ooo

  7. I hope the government sees this article.

  8. May God help us in this country.

  9. i thought i was the one who is scared of that road? its n eye sore

  10. They have embvzzled all the money. to construct road don turn wahala.

  11. Thay demon possesed road. acccident dey always dey happen sha.

  12. They keep employing quack companies to reconstruct the road. mschwwe

  13. That is how they keep lying.

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