The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government has neglected the Benin-Onitsha Road, saying the Benin-Asaba section is currently under a 25-year concession agreement.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has explained why the Federal Government has not directly taken over the rehabilitation of the Benin-Onitsha Road, saying the 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba section was concessioned under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI).
Umahi made the clarification in response to criticisms over the deteriorating condition of the major highway, which links communities across Edo and Delta states and serves as a key route between the South-South and South-East regions.
According to the minister, the concession agreement means the Federal Government cannot arbitrarily terminate the contract and assume full control of the road without following due process.
He said the Benin-Asaba section was awarded as a Value-Added Concession through the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), with the concessionaire responsible for the development and management of the road and its Right-of-Way.
Umahi argued that presenting the current condition of the road as evidence of neglect by the administration of President Bola Tinubu was misleading, noting that the government inherited thousands of federal road and bridge projects in poor condition.
The minister said the Tinubu administration inherited 2,064 Federal road and bridge projects across the country in various stages of disrepair.
He questioned whether every inherited road project should automatically be completed within three years of a new administration taking office, regardless of existing contracts, concession agreements, procurement requirements and funding limitations.
Government is bound by law. It is bound by contract. And it must observe due process,” Umahi said.
He warned that terminating the concession agreement arbitrarily could expose the Federal Government to legal action and potentially significant financial claims.
However, the minister stressed that the concession does not mean the government has abandoned the Benin-Onitsha Road.
According to him, the Ministry of Works has been engaging the concessionaire over the pace of work and demanding improved performance.
Umahi said the Federal Government also began reviewing inherited highway concession agreements in 2025, particularly to address concerns relating to transparency, compliance and performance.
The minister also highlighted several major road projects being undertaken by the Federal Government across the South-East.
They include the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, where a 15-kilometre concrete-paved section was reopened in April 2026.
Other projects listed include the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Road, Afikpo-Okigwe Road dualisation, Onueke Flyover, Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Superhighway, access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, Aba-Owerri Road, Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road.
Umahi maintained that the Federal Government remains committed to improving road infrastructure nationwide, while working within existing contractual and legal frameworks.
The minister’s explanation comes amid growing public concern over the condition of the Benin-Onitsha corridor, one of the important transportation routes connecting major commercial centres in southern Nigeria.
