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Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has decried the state of federal roads in the South-South state after his convoy got stuck in the muddy part of Benin-Sapele road over the weekend.
The governor's convoy was captured in a viral video, stranded at the RCC junction on Sapele Road, Benin after heavy rain made the road flooded and unpassable.
In the clip that has been trending online, a background voice can be heard urging viewers to share the video to show that it's time for the leaders to feel the consequences of their inactions.
The background (male) voice said, “When we told the government to fix the road, they were busy filling the potholes with broken blocks. They think they are suffering the masses. Now it is payback time as the masses are not the only ones suffering the collapse of this road.
“The governor is the one inside the vehicle but it has stopped moving. This is his vehicle (pointing at it), he cannot come down as he is ashamed. Everyone (both the poor and the rich) is feeling the brunt of bad policies in the country,” he voiced over the video.
After a while, the governor's convoy was seen moving away from the flooded part of the road.
Meanwhile, Obaseki confirmed the incident in a statement released on Sunday, July 23, 2023. He, however, lamented the scandalous state of the road and blamed the federal government for neglecting roads in the oil-producing state.
He said: “I was on Sapele Road recently. After the heavy downpour, the road was impassable. What is going on in Benin-Sapele Road is scandalous. I don’t think that any region where the oil resources that sustain the country come from should be neglected. We have done everything possible. We don’t know what to do again to draw the attention of the federal government to these roads.”
He also disclosed that, regarding fixing the Benin-Auchi and Benin-Sapele roads, the state government’s hands are tied from making any intervention because the federal government claimed to have awarded contracts for their repairs.
Obaseki said it's concerning that the major federal road networks in the state that serve as a gateway to several parts of the country can be left in such a deplorable state.
He said all the efforts made by his administration to ensure that the federal government expedites action on the repairs of the damaged roads in Edo have yielded negative outcomes.
Obaseki also disclosed that his government has drawn the attention of the Federal Government to the failed portions of the Benin-Auchi Roads, Benin-Sapele Road, and the Benin-Lagos Road, particularly the Ovia River Bridge but nothing has been done yet.
The governor said, “Look at the incident that happened on Ovia River Bridge three weeks ago, in which we lost several lives following multiple accidents. Nothing has been done till now. This shows they don’t care about us in the State.
“The issue on the Benin-Lagos Road, particularly the Ovia River Crossing is becoming catastrophic. We have lost a lot of lives and done everything to get the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Works to work with us and put in place a palliative measure to stop the carnage on that road.”
On Sapele Road, he said: “I was on Sapele Road recently. After the heavy downpour, the road was impassable. What is going on in Benin-Sapele Road is scandalous. I don’t think that any region where the oil resources that sustain the country come from should be neglected. We have done everything possible. We don’t know what to do again to draw the attention of the federal government to these roads.”
“The Auchi-Ibillo Road was so bad that some of our contractors couldn’t go to their quarry site. We appealed to the Federal Government to do palliative work on that road but they refused, saying the road is under contract. If I want to do the same for Benin-Sapele Road, I am not allowed to do so. They claim the road has been given out to a contractor.
“Last year, the Benin-Auchi Road was locked for about two weeks as food, animals, and petroleum products could not reach their destination. We don’t want such situations this year so they should help us. We are not here to criticize them but to appeal for help.”