The Edo State Government has directed officials to assess damaged sections of the Oluku–Lagos Road and recommend repairs, extending the exercise to other routes where deteriorating surfaces have disrupted travel and exposed road users to danger.
John Obanor, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works, outlined the proposed intervention while addressing journalists in Benin City. According to The Nigerian Observer’s report, the instructions cover problem areas at Oluku and elsewhere within the city.
The announcement follows a tanker accident at Oluku that left several people with burns and destroyed shops. Sahara Reporters reported the resulting market fire on 15 October. The account accompanying the government’s repair announcement said the tanker overturned while negotiating a damaged stretch of road and spilled its petroleum cargo.
Alongside the planned repairs, Obanor outlined the obligations of firms handling road projects. He said contractors must correct any defects discovered before the government formally accepts their work, without passing the expense to the state.
He explained that the government would enforce contractual requirements covering construction and maintenance, including provisions intended to protect the quality and durability of completed projects.
Retention payments and maintenance periods formed part of those safeguards, he said. These arrangements provide mechanisms for holding contractors responsible for the standard of work they deliver.
The ministry has also instructed construction firms to submit updated work programmes. Obanor said officials needed the documents to track progress, monitor outstanding work and follow up on project delivery schedules.
Turning to the pressures on Edo’s roads, the permanent secretary attributed much of the deterioration to heavy freight traffic. He said the state’s position on routes connecting different parts of Nigeria brought substantial numbers of articulated vehicles onto its road network.
Obanor identified overloading as a particular concern, saying some vehicles carried loads beyond the weight the affected roads could accommodate.
He linked dependence on road haulage to inadequate rail freight services, explaining that the limited availability of that alternative had increased the burden on highways. Relevant levels of government were working to restore rail haulage, he added.
In his assessment, Edo’s role as a transit state required regular attention to road conditions and prompt repairs when damage emerged. He said failures along some interstate routes had already made journeys difficult for motorists.
The government’s current exercise would identify damaged locations on important roads and determine suitable interventions, he said, with the aim of improving movement and reducing hazards.
Reviewing ongoing construction, Obanor listed Prince Jim Road, Prince Harrison Road, Iyoha Road and Varsity Road among the projects that contractors had completed. He said work continued at different stages on other schemes.
He also sought cooperation from residents, contractors and journalists as the government pursued road maintenance and monitored construction across the state.
Obanor and ministry engineers accompanied journalists on a tour of selected infrastructure projects in Benin City. The sites included Benin–Sapele Road, Old Sapele Road, the Ramat Park flyover and flood-control works on Obaseki Street.