FG recovers the Benin-Asaba road returning to the Ministry of Works, reopens the first bridge over the Niger

FG recovers the Benin-Asaba road returning to the Ministry of Works, reopens the first bridge over the Niger

From our journalist

Abuja (Core Reporters) Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has announced the handover of the Benin-Asaba road to the Federal Ministry of Works, revealing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the comprehensive redesign and complete reconstruction of the 136 kilometer highway as a dual carriageway.

Speaking on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during the reopening of the first Niger Bridge on the Asaba-Onitsha road, Umahi also announced ongoing remedial measures on critical sections of the Benin-Asaba road, assuring motorists that permanent reinforced concrete paving works would begin.

The Minister described the move as an important step towards solving the long-standing challenges faced by motorists traveling between the South-South and South-East, stressing that returning the road to the Ministry of Works would allow the Federal Government to take direct responsibility for its reconstruction.

“What prevented the Ministry of Public Works from reconstructing Benin-Asaba Road, the concession of that route, has been exposed. Now we have our way back to the Ministry of Public Works,” Umahi said.

He revealed that President Tinubu had directed the total and complete redesign of the 136 kilometer Benin-Asaba road as a dual carriageway, adding that the design process was ongoing and construction would commence upon its completion.

“You will see President Bola Tinubu’s legacy continue on this path. Our people will never suffer on this path again,” Umahi assured.

The announcement came as the Minister outlined the Federal Government’s intervention to protect and rehabilitate the First Bridge over the Niger, a strategic transport link linking communities and businesses in the South East and South South.

Umahi explained that the Ministry of Public Works responded after a content creator alerted the government to activities that threatened the structural integrity of the bridge. An inspection later revealed that some people were removing bolts and cutting iron components from the steel structure, activities he described as dangerous and capable of causing the bridge to collapse.

He noted that the bridge was originally built and commissioned in 1966 by the then Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, but had suffered from inadequate maintenance over the years.

According to the Minister, the government has undertaken rehabilitation works similar to those carried out on the Third Lagos Mainland Bridge, including resurfacing and median demarcation. He explained that the delineation was necessary because bridges were not designed to resist static loads indefinitely.

Ongoing safety improvements include the installation of CCTV cameras, solar-powered lighting and observation centers at both ends of the bridge. Security personnel will use the facilities to monitor activities above and below the structure, while three turnaround passages have been created to help motorists maneuver safely in the event of vehicle breakdown.

“Exactly the treatment we have given to the Third Mainland Bridge is the same treatment we have given to this place,” Umahi said, explaining that the government is applying consolidated rehabilitation and monitoring measures to protect the bridge and improve safety for road users.

He praised the contractor, SKCC, for its work, but clarified that the rehabilitation was not yet 100% complete. Exceptional works include repainting the entire steel structure, completing maintenance of rust-affected areas under the bridge deck, installing CCTV above and below the bridge and providing canopies at both ends.

The Minister also issued a strong warning against illegal dredging of sand around bridges, reminding directors of the Federal Ministry of Works in Delta and Anambra States that federal regulations prohibit dredging of sand within a 10 kilometer radius of bridges.

He warned that disciplinary action would follow if the illegal activity continued, ordering state directors to report any failure to enforce the rules by security agencies.

Apart from the First Niger Bridge and the Benin-Asaba Road, Umahi highlighted other major infrastructure projects in the South-East and South-South, describing them as part of President Tinubu’s broader commitment to national infrastructure development.

He disclosed that the President directed the reconstruction of about 400 kilometers of the East-West Road, which cuts across the Niger Delta, from the Benin axis through the South-South to Cross River State.

According to Umahi, the project would serve as an offshoot of the 750 kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, another major infrastructure project under the Tinubu administration.

“Some people thought that the East-West Road was a South-East road, and they started talking, intentionally trying to make the South-South brothers coincide with the South-East brothers. East-West Road is entirely in the Niger Delta,” he said.

The Minister dismissed suggestions that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would be halted, explaining that work was still ongoing and the remaining sections in Bayelsa and Cross River would be occupied in the coming weeks.

He argued that the coastal highway was a legitimate infrastructure investment for the Niger Delta and that the region was entitled to its share of national development projects.

“The coastal road is the right of the people of the Niger Delta. And the President will complete that 750 kilometer road. And they will also complete the SPP, which is the complete reconstruction of 400 kilometers of the East-West road,” he said.

Umahi also announced that designs for the first and second sections of the East-West Road were nearing completion, with construction expected to begin soon.

On the Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor, he said reconstruction has reached about 90% completion. He also highlighted the ongoing reconstruction of a 44 kilometer stretch in Port Harcourt using reinforced concrete pavement.

In Anambra State, the Minister announced the introduction of reinforced concrete paving works on another major road project. He said the 107-kilometre dual carriageway project has recorded progress, with 33 kilometers completed, while work on the remaining 40-kilometre section from the First Niger Bridge axis is expected to begin within two weeks.

He also pointed to the ongoing construction of Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge Ring Road, a 17.5 kilometer project worth ₦172 billion, as another example of the federal government’s infrastructure investments in the region.

“These are projects that show the President’s commitment to the South East. We cannot thank the President enough,” Umahi said, adding that the administration has deliberately integrated the region into its national infrastructure development programme.

The minister defended the use of reinforced concrete pavement on selected highways, explaining that the approach was intended to provide durable roads capable of serving Nigerians for decades.

He illustrated the quality of the new road infrastructure with an anecdote about a pilot who reportedly mistook a newly built road for a runway, saying the accident is proof of the quality and smoothness of the delivered roads.

Umahi also criticized President Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that the measures were necessary to prevent a deeper economic crisis and lay the foundation for a long-term recovery.

“When you have a wound and you have to stitch it up, there will be pain at first, but that pain is the beginning of healing,” he said.

“The worst is over. Now we are in prosperity. We are in prosperity.”

He challenged critics to provide practical alternatives to the administration’s policies rather than resorting to insults and hate speech. He argued that Nigerians should evaluate reforms by examining the country’s economic indicators and the direction of the economy.

“The President saved this country from a catastrophic economy,” Umahi said, arguing that the administration made difficult decisions in the national interest rather than to win immediate applause.

He added that the benefits of the reforms must translate into better living conditions for Nigerian citizens, stressing that the economy is moving towards the microeconomic level, where families and small businesses could start to feel the impact.

Turning to the political debate ahead of the 2027 presidential elections, Umahi explained the right of political leaders and citizens to make independent choices, rejecting suggestions that supporting President Tinubu would amount to a betrayal of the South East.

“Why is Peter Obi seeking votes in the South West? Why is he seeking votes in the North? So the people of the South East only have to support one person? When did we come together and say all the people of the South East will support Peter Obi?” he asked.

The minister argued that democracy allows citizens to make their own political decisions and called on the region to evaluate the federal government through its development projects, infrastructure investments and approach to national inclusion.

He called on political leaders, elites and other influential voices in the South East to educate young people about the relationship between democracy, development and infrastructure, insisting that policy choices should be informed by people’s needs rather than regional sentiments.

“Let me say to the people of the Southeast: It is what you will vote for in January 2027 that is our bragging rights. This is our right to negotiate. We are not very funny. We are not very sentimental. Let us stop the hate speech and embrace the new wave of hope,” he said.

Umahi argued that the region’s participation in the electoral process is important for its ability to negotiate further development and ensure continued investment in roads and other critical infrastructure.

“Democracy is about development. It’s about infrastructure. It’s about inclusion. The President has done that,” he said.

“And we are here in the South East to declare that the South East is for President Bola Tinubu.”

The Minister concluded by describing President Tinubu as a leader whose infrastructure programme, in his view, demonstrates a commitment to national inclusion across ethnic and regional boundaries.

“The evidence of what we are doing today is a total testimony to the fact that President Bola Tinubu is a detribalized Nigerian,” Umahi said.