‎Arising from the sufferings of road users and the host communities on the Benin-Asaba Highway, occasioned by ongoing
‎reconstruction and expansion works, the Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, undertook an on-the-spot assessment visit to the affected areas of the project on Tuesday, 25 August, 2026. To underscore the importance of alleviating the negative impact of the ongoing works, the Minister was accompanied by the Members of the National Assembly’s Committees on Works, the Governor of Edo State, Senior Special Assistants to the President (SSA-P) on Community Engagement, South South, South East and North Central Zones, the Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), and representatives of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
‎
‎Engr. Umahi chided the Concessionaire, the Benin–Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC), for unprofessional conduct and slow pace despite several warnings from the Independent Engineer to the Project, Messrs Yolas Consultants Limited, and officials from the Ministry. “You are not adhering to engineering best practices in road construction and your methodology is adversely impacting road users, host neighborhoods and the pace of work,” declared the Minister.
‎
‎The Benin–Asaba Highway is a strategic Federal Highway that commences from AIF Roundabout in Benin City, Edo State, and terminates at Summit Junction in Asaba, Delta State, with a distance of 125 kilometres. The alignment provides an important link between the South-East, South-South, and parts of the South-West zones of Nigeria, connecting major economic centres and facilitating passenger and freight movement, commercial activities, and regional connectivity. It is one of the pilot corridors under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), Phase I, being implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The HDMI is intended to leverage private-sector investment and technical expertise for the sustainable development, operation, and management of Federal Highways, outside the Federal Government’s balance sheet, thereby freeing up funds for other developmental projects.
‎
‎The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on 16 January, 2023, approved the concession of the Benin–Asaba Highway, on a Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer (DFBOT) basis for a concession period of twenty-five (25) years, inclusive of a three (3)-year construction period. Consequently, the Concession Agreement was executed on 23rd May, 2023, between the Ministry and the incorporated Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), BAECC. However, by late 2023, macroeconomic volatility, inflationary pressures, and rising financing costs necessitated an Addendum to the Concession Agreement.
‎A comprehensive review of the project
‎was undertaken by the Ministry, in collaboration with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF), Federal Ministry of Justice (FMoJ), Debt Management Office (DMO), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv), and the Concessionaire.
‎
‎Following the review, the project was formally handed over to the Concessionaire on 23 March, 2025. A Commencement Order was subsequently issued, establishing a thirty-six (36) month completion period for the construction phase effective from 8 April, 2025 to 8 April, 2028.
‎Since the commencement of the project, the Ministry has carried out several technical engagements and issued directives to support and ensure its effective delivery. These include the Honourable Minister’s site inspection in October, 2025, the Project Delivery Team’s (PDT) site inspections in January and May, 2026, as well as meetings convened between the officials of the Ministry, BAECC, and the Independent Engineer from 21st to 22nd July, 2026. During these engagements with the Concessionaire, it became evident that the project was not being executed as intended, largely due to shortcomings on the part of the Concessionaire, and the Concessionaire was directed to make immediate amends.
‎
‎Explaining the slow progression of the project, the Managing Director/CEO of BAECC, Mr. Samuel Daramola attributed it to a high volume of traffic on the alignment, being one of the most trafficked routes in the country, and heavy torrential rains, the corridor experiences double rainfall maxima, which the Minister classified as mere “unprofessional and untenable excuses.”
‎
‎The Minister apologised to Nigerians for the untold stories being experienced on the corridor. He also rebuked the Concessionaire for tampering with the asphalt on the smooth portions of the Highway, thereby destroying the already stabilised sub-structure. He, therefore, directed all Federal Controllers of Works and Engineering Representatives to, henceforth, arrest any contractor who, completely, removes the asphalt from an existing road.
‎
‎As a proactive measure to ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the critically bad portions of the Highway, Engr. Umahi disclosed that a competent contractor would be immediately engaged to remedy them, guaranteeing road users and the host communities that His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR feels their pains.
‎
‎In their addresses during the visit, the Chairmen, Senate and House Committees on Works, Sen. Allwell Onyesoh and Hon. Akin Alabi, respectively, empathised with road users and the host communities, described what they witnessed as “an unacceptable disaster,” and promised a holistic nationwide review of Concession Agreements with a view to ensuring strict compliance with their terms.
‎
‎Also speaking, the SSA-P, Community Engagement, South South Zone, Mrs. Gift Johnbull assured the people that the President is aware of their plights and has directed that a lasting solution be found to ameliorate them.
‎
‎The Edo State Governor, His Excellency Sen. Monday Okpebholo assured the good people of Edo State and motorists that a solution has been found by the Minister to solve the problem, once and for all, while appealing for more patience from them as the work progresses.
‎
‎A follow-up meeting involving all parties to the project is slated for today, Wednesday, 26 August, 2026 at the Edo State Government House.
‎
‎The Visitation Team also inspected ongoing
‎Reconstruction of 23-Kilometre Failed Sections of Benin-Sapele-Warri Road on Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) being undertaken by the Edo State Government, on behalf of the Federal Government. The Minister, having been informed that 75% of the project has been achieved, expressed satisfaction with the quality and speed of the work carried out by Messrs  CBC Global Civil and Building Construction (Nig.) Limited.
‎
‎Also inspected was the ongoing Reconstruction of a 10-Kilometre Stretch on the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road, Section I, Phase 2, again undertaken by the State Government, on behalf of the Federal Government, and being executed by Messrs  CCECC (Nigeria) Limited. About 25% of the work has been completed and it is progressing smoothly on CRCP.
‎
‎As an interventionist entity, the Managing Director/CEO of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku promised to reconstruct a critically failed 15.4-kilometre stretch between Edo and Delta States’ border on the Benin-Sapele Road. The Minister thanked him for the kind gesture, directing his team and that of the Commission to work together on the modalities of the project