By Yemi Akinsuyi
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, at the weekend, said his administration will continue to reconstruct and repair damaged federal highways in the State in order to ease the suffering of the people.
Governor Okpebholo said after the major interventions on the federal roads by the State Government, he will approach the Federal Government for reimbursement of funds spent.
He said he cannot sit back and continue to allow the daily carnage on major federal highways, which the previous administration refused to handle in the State.
Governor Okpebholo made the remarks when he visited the Ogheghe–Ologbo axis of the Benin–Sapele Road. The section of the highway had become almost unmotorable after the bypass, drawing widespread concern from motorists and residents.
Governor Okpebholo, who inspected the project on Sunday, November 2, 2025, expressed dismay at the deplorable condition of the road.
The Governor said during the inspection: “You can see for yourself how terrible this place is. This place looks as if there has never been a government here ever. The PDP government, to me, is going to be blamed for this. On Saturday, a trailer fell and got burnt here. A lot of people lost their properties around here as a result of that. So today, I have come to see for myself what actually happened. The road is terribly bad.
“I think the best way to go is the way we are going now; to fix this road by ourselves and later revert to the Federal Government for reimbursement. What we are doing is to keep this place safe for our people to ply. The contractor is working despite today being Sunday.”
The Governor’s visit marks another major intervention in Edo’s growing list of road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects. These interventions reflect Governor Okpebholo’s commitment to improving infrastructure and easing movement across the State.
Engr. Mrs. Williams Bello, the Special Adviser on Project Implementation and Monitoring, explained that the 10.15-kilometre section was recently handed over to the Edo State Government by the Federal Ministry of Works when the Minister of Works visited the State.
Bello said: “You can see that our Governor is being proactive. The contractor, who was already handling 23.2 kilometres of the project, is now extending work to this newly conceded section. In the middle of the road, they are already excavating for the drains.
“This area has unsuitable materials that cannot absorb water. So, a major drainage channel, about 7.5 metres wide is being constructed to carry stormwater towards the bypass where there will be a discharge point. Since we are now in the dry season, the contractor will be able to build up the road profile and lay the stone base.”
General Manager of CBC Global Construction Company, Mr. Liao, said the firm had made significant progress on the ongoing 23.2-kilometre reconstruction work.
Liao explained: “For now, we have achieved almost 8 kilometres of stone base and 5 kilometres of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP). After this bypass, we have about 7 kilometres by the right-hand side to complete.
“The major challenge before now was rainfall. But now that the rains have stopped, we are working on excavating the drainage in between to channel water out. Once that is done, everything will be much easier. I can assure you, and I believe this project could be completed before the next rainy season.”
