Benin-Asaba gridlock: FG appeals to concessionaire for contract termination

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has appealed to the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba road to immediately write to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to enable it to terminate their contract.

The minister also ordered the concessionaire to urgently remove all the blockages on the Benin-Asaba road to allow free flow of traffic.

Umahi made the appeal and issued the directive on Wednesday in Benin at a stakeholders’ engagement in Government House, Benin.

According to him, we are therefore pleading with you to give us written approval to proceed in this manner, we believe this is the way forward.

“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,” he said.

He stressed that the Federal Ministry of Works should write to the Independent Engineer to request measurements of all the works that have been carried out, excluding what we describe as negative work.

“When you remove asphalt contrary to the contract and contrary to the specifications, that is negative work.

“It will not be recognised as part of the value of work done. In fact, the cost of rectifying the damage must also be established.

“Now, we want to plead with you, as the clients acting in the interest of the public, we do not believe that you currently have the capacity to reinstate the road.

“We have not stopped you from working, but if you continue doing what you are currently doing, we are not convinced that you will be able to avert the potential for public disorder in that area,” he added.

The minister, while suggesting ways to remedy the current hardship caused by the concessionaire, directed that the affected sections should then be reconstructed under the supervision of the Independent Engineer.

He also directed that the concessionaire is required to provide a technical design for proper stormwater canalisation, adding that this is very important.

He further warned that it should restore all the asphalt, redirect any water that has been channelled onto the carriageway, and restore free flow of traffic along the carriageway.

Responding, Head of Legal and Compliance of the Benin Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC), Mr Peterson Fabian, appealed to all parties involved to allow more time to enable suitable options.

“I believe that everything that is being discussed here is not conclusive in itself. We will have a more robust collaborative way of handling things going forward.

“Every stakeholder here, do allow us to have more time to engage. I believe that we will have more pathways forward to further collaborate,” he said.

On his part, the Senator on Works Committee, Allwell Onyesoh, said that he felt commuters and all other road users plying the Benin-Asaba road described the situation as terrible.

“The concessionaires and whoever pushed for this concessionaire did not mean well for Nigeria, and this is a big lesson about concessionaires in Nigeria. We can see that it is not everybody that has the capacity to handle such a big project,” he said.

Also speaking, Gov. Monday Okpebholo of Edo, said a lot had been discussed and there was so much to be taken away from the engagement meeting, saying that he was totally disappointed with the way things are on the section of the Benin-Asaba road.

“Looking at the project at hand, looking at the road itself, looking at the suffering of the people and looking at how that road was before now, I felt sorry for those plying the road, especially Edo people.

“What we are seeing now is not what I should be seeing at this point after 16 months. Nothing has been done. To me, it is a total waste of resources. Whatever amount that has been put there, for me, is a total waste.

“You can’t give what you don’t have. 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.

“Minister, I advise that you do the needful. Edo people are watching. Whatever happens here goes round the entire country. Let’s proffer solutions to this issue. There must be a way out. This is a major road,” he said.