By Sandra Ugwu

Motorists and passengers travelling along the Benin–Agbor–Asaba corridor are facing severe hardship as deteriorating sections of the highway have left travellers stranded for days, disrupted businesses and raised fresh concerns over the condition of major roads in Nigeria.

The crisis came under renewed scrutiny after Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the concessioned Benin–Asaba highway and criticised the concessionaire, BAECC, over what he described as poor handling of the project. Umahi said the company had “failed woefully” in managing the road and announced plans for a stakeholders’ meeting to review the concession agreement. He also promised that the Federal Government would bring in a contractor to make the highway motorable in the short term.

The minister said the concessionaire worsened the situation by removing existing asphalt despite government instructions not to do so. He said the road was not in its present condition when it was handed over and warned that concessionaires removing asphalt from existing roads could face arrest for destroying public property.

BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Daramola, however, blamed heavy rainfall and intense traffic for the slow pace of construction. He said the company had expanded portions of the road to eight lanes and carried out palliative works but was struggling to construct drainage infrastructure because of continuous traffic.

The human cost has been severe. A passenger travelling with her two-year-old son said she and other travellers had been forced to sleep inside buses because they could not afford hotel accommodation while trapped in the gridlock at Agbor.

A truck driver described the situation as particularly frustrating, saying a journey from Lagos to Benin that normally takes about four hours could take three additional days once travellers reached the affected sections of the road. He warned that prolonged delays were threatening the movement of goods, particularly perishable products, while vehicles were also being damaged.

Another logistics driver said he left Lagos on August 20 and did not reach Asaba until August 23, spending two days and two nights trapped around Agbor. He described the area at night as resembling a busy market, with stranded passengers coming out of vehicles in search of food and water.

Residents and community leaders have also expressed growing anger. Kingsley Osemwingie, Chairman of the Ikpoba Hill Youth Forum, said residents had protested the situation and called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene, warning that the road crisis had already caused damage to lives and property.

The House Committee on Works has called for a review of road concession agreements. Its chairman, Akin Alabi, said Nigerians needed immediate palliative measures and roads that would allow people and goods to move freely. The project's consultant also said the concessionaire ignored advice to construct drainage infrastructure first, which contributed to the deterioration of the road.

The crisis has attracted wider concern across the South-South. PANDEF National Chairman, Godknows Igali, described the region's road infrastructure as being in an “almost crisis situation,” arguing that the oil-producing region deserves greater attention because of its contribution to the national economy.

The Benin–Asaba highway was concessioned to BAECC in 2025 under a plan to transform it into a 10-lane highway. The project was scheduled for completion in September 2027, after which tolling was expected to begin, with the concessionaire maintaining the road for 25 years.

With traffic expected to intensify during the festive period, pressure is mounting on the Federal Government to deliver immediate relief and resolve the dispute surrounding the concession before the highway becomes an even greater threat to commuters, businesses and the movement of goods.