The Federal Government has defended its handling of the Benin–Onitsha road, saying the deteriorating condition of the corridor predates the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and that an existing concession agreement constrains its intervention.
The government also rejected claims that the South-East has been neglected in the allocation of federal road projects, citing several major infrastructure projects currently underway or advanced across the region.
In a statement signed by Mohammed A. Ahmed, Director, Information and Public Relations, the Ministry of Works said the Benin–Onitsha corridor was incorporated into the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) as a Value-Added Concession.
It said the 125-kilometre Benin–Asaba Expressway was concessioned for 25 years, with the concessionaire responsible for its development and management.
According to the ministry, the arrangement means the government cannot simply terminate the concession and award the road to another contractor without considering the legal and financial implications.
“Government is bound by law. It is bound by contract. And it must observe due process,” the statement said.
It added that arbitrary termination could expose the Federal Government to litigation and potentially substantial financial claims.
The ministry, however, stated that concessioning the road did not amount to abandoning it, saying it had been engaging the concessionaire over the pace and quality of work while demanding that its contractual obligations be fulfilled.
The statement said the Federal Government also began reviewing inherited highway concession agreements in 2025 to address concerns around transparency, accountability, performance and value for money.
Defending the administration’s broader infrastructure record in the South-East, the ministry listed the Enugu–Akwa-Onitsha Expressway, Onueke Highway and Flyover, Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue Trans-Sahara Superhighway, Enugu–Abakaliki–Ogoja Road, Afikpo–Okigwe Road, Aba–Owerri Road and Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway among projects being executed or advanced.
Others, it said, include the access roads to the Second Niger Bridge linking Onitsha and Asaba, the Onitsha–Owerri Expressway and the Aba–Ikot Ekpene Road.
The ministry also cited the reopening in April 2026 of an initial 15-kilometre completed section of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway following reconstruction works, including concrete pavement.
It argued that the condition of the Benin–Onitsha road should therefore be viewed against the wider infrastructure deficit inherited by the Tinubu administration, rather than being presented as a problem created by the current government.
“Must every road in Nigeria be fixed within three years of a new administration assuming office, regardless of inherited contracts, concession agreements, funding constraints, and procurement laws?” the statement queried.
The ministry acknowledged the hardship faced by motorists, businesses and other road users along the corridor, including delays, vehicle damage and safety concerns, but maintained that the solution lies in enforcing the existing concession agreement and compelling the concessionaire to perform.
It also noted that the Works Ministry had warned underperforming contractors and demanded compliance with contractual obligations, arguing that such actions demonstrate that the government is not indifferent to the state of federal roads.
The statement rejected suggestions that the condition of the road was linked to the voting pattern of the South-East, describing such claims as unsupported by evidence.
It maintained that federal road projects were being implemented across all six geopolitical zones and urged Nigerians to assess the administration based on the totality of its infrastructure interventions.
The ministry also acknowledged that the Benin–Onitsha corridor requires urgent attention, saying that motorists should not be expected to endure a poor road indefinitely.
It said the government would continue to engage the concessionaire, enforce contractual obligations and deploy all lawful mechanisms available to secure improved performance.
(The Whistler)