The federal government has reclaimed the Benin-Asaba Road from concession arrangements, with President Bola Tinubu ordering the comprehensive redesign and reconstruction of the 136-kilometre highway as a dual carriageway, Minister of Works, David Umahi, has disclosed.
Umahi announced the development during the reopening of the First Niger Bridge on the Asaba-Onitsha Road, saying the federal government would also begin permanent reinforced concrete pavement works on critical sections of the Benin-Asaba highway to address its deteriorating condition.
“What stopped the Ministry of Works from reconstructing Benin-Asaba Road, the concessioning of that route, has been unsealed. We now have our route back to the Ministry of Works,” the minister said.
He explained that the return of the highway to the ministry would enable the federal government to take direct responsibility for its comprehensive reconstruction, adding that the redesign process was ongoing and construction would begin after its completion.
“The legacy of President Bola Tinubu, you will see it ongoing on this road. Never again will our people suffer on this road,” Umahi said.
The Benin–Asaba expressway was initially concessioned under the federal government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), designed to attract private investment into federal road infrastructure.
However, the arrangement subsequently ran into difficulties over the pace and quality of construction. During inspections in August 2026, Umahi accused the concessionaire of slow progress, inadequate technical capacity, substandard work and construction methods that worsened sections of the road.
The federal government initially sought to negotiate an intervention but said the concessionaire rejected proposed options and did not grant permission for the ministry to undertake emergency repairs.
The announcement came as the minister outlined measures taken to rehabilitate and secure the First Niger Bridge, a critical transport link connecting the South-east and South-south, following reports that individuals had been removing bolts and cutting iron components from its steel structure.
Umahi said the ministry moved to inspect the bridge after a content creator alerted the government to activities that threatened its structural integrity. He described the reported removal of metal components as dangerous, warning that such acts could compromise the bridge’s safety.
Originally commissioned in 1966 by Nigeria’s then Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the bridge had suffered from inadequate maintenance over the years, according to the minister.
Umahi said the government had undertaken rehabilitation work similar to that carried out on Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge, including asphalt resurfacing and median demarcation. The latter, he explained, was intended to prevent prolonged static loading on the structure.
The safety upgrades include the installation of closed-circuit television cameras, solar-powered lighting and observation centres at both ends of the bridge. Security personnel are expected to use the facilities to monitor activities on and beneath the structure, while three turnaround passages have been created to enable motorists to manoeuvre safely when vehicles break down.
“Exactly the treatment we gave to the Third Mainland Bridge is the treatment we gave to this place,” Umahi said.
However, he clarified that the rehabilitation was not yet fully completed, listing the repainting of the steel structure, maintenance of rust-affected areas beneath the bridge deck, installation of surveillance cameras above and below the bridge, and provision of canopies at both ends among the outstanding works.
The minister also warned against illegal sand dredging around bridges, reminding federal directors of works in Delta and Anambra States that regulations prohibit the activity within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges. He directed them to report any failure by security agencies to enforce the restriction and warned that disciplinary action would follow if the illegal activity persisted.
Beyond the Benin-Asaba highway and the First Niger Bridge, Umahi disclosed that Tinubu had directed the reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, which runs through the Niger Delta from the Benin axis towards Cross River State.
He described the project as a major component of the administration’s infrastructure programme in the region and linked it to the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which the federal government has also committed to completing.
Umahi dismissed suggestions that construction of the coastal highway had stopped, saying work remained ongoing and the remaining sections in Bayelsa and Cross River would be taken up in the coming weeks.
“The coastal road is the right of the Niger Delta people. And the President will complete that 750-kilometre road…(and) the full reconstruction of 400 kilometres of East-West Road,” he said.
He added 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, the minister said reconstruction had reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while work was ongoing on a 44-kilometre section in Port Harcourt using reinforced concrete pavement.
In Anambra State, he said the 107-kilometre dual carriageway project had recorded progress, with 33 kilometres completed. Construction on the remaining 40-kilometre section from the First Niger Bridge axis was expected to begin within two weeks, he added.
Umahi also cited the ongoing construction of Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge bypass, a 17.5-kilometre project valued at N172 billion, as evidence of the federal government’s infrastructure spending in the region.
The minister defended the use of reinforced concrete pavement on selected highways, arguing that it would deliver more durable roads capable of serving motorists for decades. He illustrated his point with an anecdote about a pilot who reportedly mistook a newly constructed road for an aircraft runway because of its smooth surface.
Umahi also defended the federal government’s economic reforms, describing them as difficult but necessary measures to avert a deeper crisis and create the conditions for recovery.
He urged critics to propose practical alternatives to the administration’s policies rather than resort to insults and hate speech, arguing that the reforms should be assessed against economic indicators and their impact on the country.
Emmanuel Addeh
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