Umahi Points The Finger At Government: TooBenin–Asaba Road Crisis: Who Really Failed Nigerians?

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has delivered the kind of apology motorists rarely receive from the government: an admission that something has gone seriously wrong. During an on-the-spot inspection of the troubled Benin–Agbor–Asaba corridor, Umahi expressed deep disappointment with the concessionaire and declared, “I am very disappointed with the concessionaire, but I take full responsibility for the misdeed.” The minister also apologised to commuters and warned that contractors who remove asphalt from federal roads without authorisation could face arrest.

The road has become a major source of frustration for motorists, passengers and transport operators, with reports of severe gridlock and journeys that now appear to require the patience of Job. One driver reportedly spent three days moving cargo from Lagos to Asaba, while other travellers have been trapped for extended periods around failed portions of the highway.

Road Project Becomes A Lesson In What Not To Do

The Benin–Asaba highway was concessioned in 2025 to the Benin–Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) for transformation into a 10-lane highway, with the project expected to be completed by September 2027. But the Federal Government is now considering a review of the concession arrangement following mounting complaints about the condition of the road.

Umahi’s central complaint was not simply that construction was slow; it was that existing asphalt was allegedly removed before adequate drainage infrastructure was provided. In the satirical courtroom of Nigerian public opinion, the road appears to have been handed a strange sentence: first remove the pavement, then allow rain and traffic to explain the consequences. Project engineers have also raised concerns about traffic management, drainage, methodology and the pace of construction.

Umahi: Government Accepts Responsibility, Motorists Demand Results

Umahi’s admission that government also bears responsibility is significant. He acknowledged that the authorities should have properly assessed the technical competence of the concessionaire before awarding such an important project. That admission turns the story from a simple contractor-versus-government quarrel into a broader question about procurement, supervision and accountability in major infrastructure projects.

For commuters, however, accountability is useful only when it eventually produces a usable road. The Federal Government has said it will review concessioned roads and bring in measures to make the affected corridor motorable in the short term, while the minister has directed stronger action against unauthorised removal of asphalt. Until then, motorists may continue wondering whether the Benin–Agbor–Asaba journey is a highway project, a traffic-management experiment or an endurance competition with no finish line.

OGM News NG will continue to watch developments on the Benin–Agbor–Asaba corridor, particularly the promised intervention, the review of the concession arrangement and whether the latest assurances translate into actual relief for commuters. For motorists who have already spent days on the road, the next update will not merely be another headline—it could determine whether the journey finally becomes a journey again.