Edo revokes Benin-Abraka road contract, plans fresh award

File: Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo.

The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has approved the revocation and re-award of the contract for the failed section of the Benin-Abraka Road at Ikpe Waterside in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.

The Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, disclosed this on Wednesday during a meeting with Okaigheles, youth leaders and residents from Ikpe Waterside and adjoining communities who protested the deplorable condition of the road.

Following assurances by Idahosa that the government would intervene, the protesters voluntarily dismantled barricades erected along the road, allowing motorists to pass.

Idahosa said the decision to revoke and re-award the contract was part of the administration’s efforts to address critical infrastructure challenges inherited from the previous government.

According to him, the affected road was divided into two sections and awarded to two contractors before the present administration assumed office on November 12, 2024.

He said while one contractor had completed about 76 per cent of its assigned stretch, the contractor handling the Ikpe Waterside section failed to deliver the project to the required standard.

“Governor Monday Okpebholo has approved that this road contract be revoked and re-awarded to a competent contractor,” Idahosa said.

He expressed disappointment over the condition of the road, assuring the communities that the administration would address inherited infrastructure deficiencies across the state’s 18 local government areas and three senatorial districts.

The deputy governor also assured the communities that palliative works would commence on the worst portions of the road while the procurement process for the re-award of the contract was concluded.

He said the local government would be directed to carry out emergency palliative works to ease the hardship faced by motorists.

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Idahosa also assured the stakeholders that he would personally monitor the rehabilitation process to ensure that the road was delivered to the required standard.

“We need your understanding on most of these issues that were inherited from the previous government. It was not caused by us,” he said.

He stressed that the Okpebholo administration would not compromise on the quality of roads being constructed across the state.

The deputy governor also listened to complaints by the communities over alleged forceful takeover of ancestral farmlands and their subsequent allocation to agricultural investors by the previous administration.

He assured the stakeholders that the government would examine the issues and ensure that appropriate action was taken.

Earlier, spokesperson of the protesting communities, David Ehiarinmwian, said their grievances extended beyond the deplorable state of the road.

He called on oil and agricultural companies operating in the area to demonstrate greater commitment to the socio-economic development of their host communities through effective corporate social responsibility programmes.

Ehiarinmwian also appealed to the state government to review the buffer-zone policy relating to the allocation of land to agricultural investors.

He argued that the policy had affected local farmers’ access to ancestral farmlands and their traditional farming practices.

Idahosa assured the stakeholders that their concerns would receive the attention of the government as part of its commitment to inclusive development across Edo.