President directs Works Ministry to restore movement on Benin-Agbor-Asaba and Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti corridors as Umahi apologises to stranded commuters
President Bola Tinubu has ordered urgent intervention on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road and the Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti road following worsening conditions that have left motorists and commuters stranded for hours and, in some cases, days.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed the directive in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Francis Nwaze, saying the President was concerned about the hardship being experienced by road users along the affected corridors.
Umahi said the Federal Ministry of Works had commenced immediate measures to restore movement and address the challenges on the strategic roads.
As part of the intervention, Umahi directed the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, to lead a team of ministry officials to the Ifaki-Kabba-Ado Ekiti axis to assess the situation and begin urgent remedial works.
The intervention was already underway as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25, with officials deployed to Ekiti and Kogi states.
Umahi, meanwhile, travelled to Benin, Edo State, alongside members of the National Assembly Works Committees to coordinate a similar intervention on the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road.
The meeting in Benin is expected to involve representatives of the Edo and Delta State governments as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to find immediate solutions to the challenges affecting motorists on the corridor.
Umahi also apologised to commuters who had been stranded or delayed for several hours and days, taking responsibility for the condition of the affected roads.
He assured road users that the Federal Government’s response would not be limited to temporary measures, saying immediate corrective works would be combined with long-term solutions to restore the roads and improve their reliability.
The government said it remained committed to taking urgent action to ease the hardship faced by motorists while pursuing permanent solutions to the deteriorating road infrastructure.