BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba Expressway to immediately withdraw from the project site, accusing the firm of lacking technical competence and failing to add any value to the critical road infrastructure after 16 months of concession .
Speaking on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ engagement at the Edo State Government House, Umahi directed the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company to formally write to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to facilitate the termination of its concession agreement . “Therefore, our directive going forward is that you should be removed from the site of this project, within the limits of our rights. You have added no value to the project,” the minister declared .
The minister’s directive came after an on-the-spot assessment of the highway, which has become a nightmare for motorists, with travellers reportedly stranded for days at several failed portions . The 125-kilometre highway was concessioned to BAECC in 2025 for transformation into a 10-lane expressway, with the company assuring completion within the stipulated timeframe .
Umahi expressed particular anger over the concessionaire’s removal of existing asphalt without first constructing adequate side drains, describing the action as destruction of public assets . “The Ministry of Works does not allow the removal of asphalt. We begged them not to remove it. The concessionaire should have been arrested for destroying public property,” Umahi said .
Addressing BAECC Chief Executive Officer Samuel Daramola directly, Umahi accused the company of manipulating the concession process to secure the contract and questioned its technical capacity . “You manipulated the process to get the job. You have no knowledge of road construction. You don’t know what you are doing. You have no technical staff or competence,” he said .
The minister further warned that any contractor or concessionaire found removing asphalt from federal roads without authorisation would face arrest . He disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had directed the redesign of roads from Kogi through Edo State to Warri, with concrete pavement being considered for reconstruction .
In response, BAECC CEO Samuel Daramola blamed heavy rainfall and the high volume of traffic for the slow pace of work, saying the company was forced to reopen sections before construction materials had adequately cured due to pressure from motorists . However, the project consultant representative, Toyin Akinlapa, contradicted the concessionaire, revealing that BAECC had ignored professional advice to construct drains first .
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo expressed deep disappointment, describing the condition of the road after 16 months as unacceptable and a total waste of resources . “If they are competent, by now we should have seen some part of this road completed. You don’t need to tell a layman that something is wrong on that road. These people are not serious about completing this job,” Okpebholo stated .
The Federal Government, through Umahi, presented three options to BAECC: being given the right of first refusal to toll the road after government completes construction; termination of the concession agreement; or engaging a competent contractor while retaining toll rights with a 70-30 revenue split . Umahi warned that the government could not allow the deteriorating condition of the road to lead to public disorder .
As the stakeholders’ meeting concluded, Senator Allwell Onyesoh described the road’s condition as “despicable,” while House Committee on Works Chairman Akin Alabi called on President Tinubu to review the concession agreement and similar arrangements across the country . For thousands of commuters who endure daily hardship on the Benin-Asaba corridor, the government’s decisive intervention cannot come soon enough.
