•Works Ministry Sets Record Straight on ‘Neglect’, Says Road Deterioration Predates Tinubu Administration
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Federal Government has responded to criticisms over the condition of the Benin–Onitsha Road, saying the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration inherited a vast network of deteriorating federal roads and bridges accumulated over decades.
The Ministry of Works, in a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed A. Ahmed, on behalf of the Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, said the present administration inherited 2,064 federal road and bridge projects at various stages of deterioration, abandonment, underfunding and contractual complications.
The ministry said it was therefore misleading to attribute the longstanding condition of major highways, including the Benin–Onitsha corridor, solely to the Tinubu administration.
The statement, titled “Benin–Onitsha Road: Setting the Record Straight on ‘Neglect’,” acknowledged the concerns of motorists and road users but argued that criticism of the government must take into account the history of the road, inherited contractual arrangements and the ongoing infrastructure interventions across the country.
According to the ministry, the fundamental question is whether the Benin–Onitsha Road deteriorated only after Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
It also questioned whether every inherited federal road could realistically be reconstructed within three years, irrespective of existing contracts, concession agreements, funding limitations, procurement requirements and legal obligations.
The ministry said the condition of major highways across Nigeria predates the present administration, noting that decades of infrastructure deficits had left thousands of kilometres of federal roads requiring reconstruction, rehabilitation, dualisation, bridges, drainage and other interventions.
It cited the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway as an example, saying substantial reconstruction work, including concrete pavement, had been undertaken and an initial 15-kilometre completed section was reopened in April 2026.
The ministry argued that the appropriate question should therefore not simply be why every kilometre of road has not yet been completed, but what the administration inherited, what it is fixing, the contractual constraints involved and what measures are being taken to accelerate delivery.
A major point raised by the Works Ministry is the contractual status of the Benin–Asaba section.
According to the ministry, the project was incorporated into the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) as a Value-Added Concession.
The 125-kilometre Benin–Asaba Expressway is reportedly under a 25-year concession arrangement designed to attract private-sector investment for the development and management of the road.
The ministry explained that under the concession model, the road pavement and the entire Right-of-Way are concessioned for development and management by the concessionaire.
It therefore rejected suggestions that the Minister of Works could simply terminate the concession and award the road to another contractor without regard to existing legal and financial obligations.
“Government is bound by law. It is bound by contract. And it must observe due process,” the ministry stated.
It warned that arbitrary termination of a concession agreement could expose the Federal Government to litigation and potentially substantial financial claims.
The ministry said the Minister of Works has been engaging the concessionaire over the pace of work and demanding improved performance.
It stressed that the concession does not mean the Federal Government has abandoned responsibility for the road, but that government intervention must be exercised within the existing contractual and legal framework.
The ministry disclosed that the Federal Government commenced a review of inherited highway concession agreements in 2025 to address concerns relating to transparency, accountability, performance and value for money.
The statement also rejected claims that the Tinubu administration has done little or nothing for the South-East.
It listed several major road projects being executed or advanced in the region, including the Enugu–Akwa-Onitsha Expressway, Onueke Highway and Flyover, Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue Trans-Sahara Superhighway, Enugu–Abakaliki–Ogoja Road, Afikpo–Okigwe Road, access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, Aba–Owerri Road, Onitsha–Owerri Expressway, Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway and Aba–Ikot Ekpene Road.
The ministry said these projects formed part of the infrastructure interventions under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and were aimed at improving regional connectivity, trade and economic activity.
It maintained that the condition of one road should not be used to conclude that the Federal Government has abandoned infrastructure development across an entire geopolitical zone.
The ministry further cited Umahi’s repeated warnings to non-performing contractors and his dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work on major highways.
It said the Minister had insisted that contractors must fulfil their contractual obligations, arguing that such actions demonstrated that the government was not indifferent to the condition of the nation’s roads.
The ministry maintained that there was a clear distinction between being legally constrained from terminating a contract and being unwilling to act.
According to the statement, the government’s responsibility is to enforce contractual obligations, demand performance and deploy every lawful mechanism available to improve road conditions.
The Works Ministry also highlighted funding constraints as another challenge confronting the massive road infrastructure programme.
It disclosed that project scopes had, in some cases, been adjusted to enable government to concentrate available resources on the most critical sections.
It cited the Abuja–Lokoja project, where one section was reportedly reduced from 49.28 kilometres to 28 kilometres to focus available resources on the most critical portions of the alignment.
The ministry said the situation illustrated the complexity of infrastructure financing in Nigeria and why it would be unrealistic to expect all inherited federal roads to be completely reconstructed within three years.
The statement acknowledged that residents and businesses in the South-East deserve good roads, bridges, rail connections, security and other economic infrastructure.
It, however, argued that infrastructure delivery should be assessed on the basis of facts, ongoing projects and measurable progress rather than political sentiment.
The ministry said criticism remained essential in a democracy and that government officials, contractors and ministers must be held accountable.
However, it cautioned against what it described as “selective memory,” insisting that abandoned roads being reconstructed, completed road sections being reopened and new strategic highways being initiated should equally form part of public assessment of the administration.
The Works Ministry acknowledged that the complaints of motorists over the Benin–Onitsha corridor are real, including delays, vehicle damage, safety concerns and pressure on businesses.
It nevertheless insisted that the solution lies in compelling the concessionaire to fulfil its obligations and using lawful mechanisms to address shortcomings.
The ministry said the Benin–Onitsha Road should not become a political weapon but rather a case study in the need for sustainable infrastructure financing, effective contract management and long-term road maintenance.
It maintained that the Federal Government cannot reconstruct every road simultaneously and must prioritise projects, secure funding, supervise construction and enforce contractual obligations.
The ministry ultimately argued that the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure record in the South-East should be assessed through the totality of its interventions rather than by isolating the Benin–Onitsha corridor from the wider infrastructure programme.
It said the Federal Government was simultaneously undertaking major road projects across the South-East and other parts of the country.
“The Benin–Onitsha road deserves fixing,” the ministry acknowledged, while insisting that the public debate must also recognise who inherited the problem, who holds the contractual obligation and what the present administration is doing to address it.
The ministry said government would continue to work, press concessionaires and contractors to deliver, and ensure that infrastructure projects were implemented within the framework of the law.
