Endure current deplorable roads, Edo state government tells residents

The Edo state government has said massive rehabilitation of roads across the state will commence immediately after the rainy season, urging residents to endure the current deplorable condition of some roads.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, gave the assurance Wednesday, explaining that attempting major road repairs amid the heavy rains would result in the wastage of construction materials and public resources.

Afegbua spoke during the ministry’s monthly media briefing in Benin City, where he also attributed the deterioration of several roads in the state to what he described as poor-quality construction works by the immediate past administration.

He assured Edo residents that the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led government was committed to restore the State’s road infrastructure and make major roads motorable for motorists and other road users.

According to him, the administration inherited a number of challenges, particularly in the area of road infrastructure, which he said would be tackled systematically.

Afegbua attributed the current deterioration of some roads to what he described as poor-quality construction works carried out by the immediate past administration under former Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He said, “several roads within the Benin metropolis that were rehabilitated during the previous administration had deteriorated considerably, raising questions about the quality and durability of the projects.

He specifically cited roads in Government Reservation Area (GRA), Iyekogba Estate, Irihrih and Okoroma, emphasizing that”an assessment of the roads showed extensive potholes and other signs of infrastructure decay.”

He added that roads constructed to acceptable standards should ordinarily have considerably longer lifespans, depending on their specifications, usage and maintenance.

He stressed that the Okpebholo administration was “very much alive to its responsibility” and determined to reverse the trend while addressing both inherited and emerging developmental challenges.