Road users of Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway have cried out to the government to fix the road and reduce their plight. They lamented that some portions of the 30-year-old road had become so deplorable that multiple accidents were recorded on the road frequently.
They contended that many innocent lives and goods worth billions of naira had been lost as a result of the accidents.
Also some of the travellers that spoke to PUNCH METRO on Monday said they were exposed to risks of armed robbery and kidnapping as their vehicles were forced to slow down because of the failed spots of the road.
A commercial driver, who identified himself as Emeka Ike, spoted Benin-Ofosu, Ajebandele-Ore, Ore-Ofosu roads as the most deplorable sections of the highway. He said he had witnessed many vehicles that tumbled while plying the routes.
“Government should please help us. I have spent over four hours on these bad areas of the road. I should not spend more than 30 minutes on those areas, if the road is good. The bad road has made my vehicle to spoil many times. I spent a lot of money repairing the vehicle. Honestly, it is traumatic plying along this route,” Ike said.
A passenger, Mrs. Angela Okon, told PUNCH METRO that she always took ill after travelling on the road, adding that there was a time some of the goods she bought from Lagos got spoilt before she reached her destination.
She said, “The experience of travelling along this Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway is traumatic. Travellers are forced to spend many hours, almost suffocating in the scorching heat with attendant exposure to attacks from hoodlums. Sometimes, our good spoil before we reach our destination. This is the only major way that links Lagos to the South-South and South-East. I plead with the Federal Government to see the reconstruction of the road as a priority.”
The Minister of State for Works, Mr. Chris Ogienwonyi, in a recent interview with Saturday PUNCH, identified old age and poor maintenance as the major reasons for the deplorable state of the road. He said complete reconstruction of the road rather than repairs was the solution to the perennial bad state of the road.
Ogienwonyi said, “It was only recently when I came to this ministry that I realised that the Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway was over 30 years old. And like everything that is old, there is bound to be degradation. We have been experiencing failure on that road, especially due to poor maintenance.
“However, the remedy for that road is a complete reconstruction. To find a lasting solution to that road, we should not engage in repairs of sectional areas where the road has failed. The best thing for that road is total reconstruction.
“The Federal Government has given approval for the total reconstruction of the Benin-Ofosu Road. So, what we will be asking for in this year’s budget is for a reconstruction of the road from Benin to Ibadan. This is the best thing to do because, over the years, the palliative measure, which entailed repairing sectional portions of the road, had not solved the problem. The repairs only lasted for a few months after which the road spoiled again.”
PUNCH METRO observed that reconstruction work is in progress at the Benin end of the road.
An elated resident in Benin, Edo State, Mr. Nosa Edewor, said when reconstruction work on the Benin end of the road was completed, the plight of travellers along the areas would have been reduced.
He added that if the pace of reconstruction work on the area was replicated on other failed areas of the road, especially at Ore, t it would reduce hardship being experienced by the road users.
He said that the effort would also boost socio-economic, agricultural and industrial activities.
| Posted: at | |
TRENDING GISTS 
Arrest Tompolo Now! Nigerian Doctor Dares EFCC To Go After Niger Delta Militant Leader, Tompolo
Expect Davido Someday As Governor Of Osun – Formere Senator Ben Murray-Bruce Declares
Panic In Abuja As Pastor Shoots Two Immigration Officers After Being Mistaken Them For Robbers
Retired Teacher, Mallam Kabiru Killed, Wife Abducted As Bandits Invade Zamfara School Quarters
Army Busts Gunrunning Syndicate in Plateau, Two Arrested With AK-47 (Photos)
Ringside Rumble? Fans Hype Possible Boxing Showdown Between Small Doctor And Portable
16-Year-Old Maths Wizard, Olamide Aderibigbe Scores 336 Overall In UTME; Scores 98 in Maths