By Musemil Abubakar
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has vowed that his administration will continue to repair and reconstruct failed sections of federal highways across the state to ease the hardship faced by road users.
The governor made the pledge on Sunday during an inspection visit to the Ogheghe–Ologbo axis of the Benin–Sapele Road, which has become nearly impassable following years of neglect.
A day earlier, a petrol tanker had fallen and caught fire at the Ogheghe junction due to the poor state of the road, leading to loss of properties.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, Okpebholo said his government would fix the roads first and seek reimbursement from the Federal Government later.
He blamed the previous PDP administration for the deplorable state of infrastructure, saying his government could not “sit back and allow daily carnage on the highways.”
Special Adviser on Project Implementation and Monitoring, Williams Bello, said the 10.15-kilometre section was recently handed over to the state by the Federal Ministry of Works, adding that work was ongoing to construct a major drainage channel and rebuild the road base.
The General Manager of CBC Global Construction Company, Liao, said significant progress had been made on the 23.2-kilometre project, noting that about 8 kilometres of stone base and 5 kilometres of concrete pavement had already been completed.
Okpebholo has so far launched major rehabilitation projects across Edo’s three senatorial districts, reflecting his administration’s focus on infrastructure renewal and safer transportation.
