Road repairs: Edo urges residents to be patient

Past Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Kassim Afegbua

The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, has urged residents to be patient with the state government over the poor condition of roads, saying major repairs will be undertaken during the dry season.

Afegbua said attempting to repair roads during the rainy season could result in the wastage of construction materials and public funds.

He stated this on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the ministry’s monthly media briefing in Benin.

The commissioner was joined at the briefing by the Commissioner for Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Chris Okaeben; the Executive Secretary, Edo State Drugs and Health Commodities Management Agency, Kenny Okojie; and the Special Adviser on Health Matters, Dr Andrew Iyamu.

Afegbua said the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo was committed to addressing the state’s infrastructure challenges, particularly the deteriorating road network.

He attributed much of the current decay to what he described as poor-quality road projects executed by the immediate past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

According to him, several roads rehabilitated during the previous administration had deteriorated despite being completed only a few years ago.

He said, “The Edo State Government, under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, is very much alive to its responsibility, ensuring it contends with the developmental challenges confronting the state, both emerging and inherited.

“Of critical reference is the issue of roads. If we had an opportunity like the previous government of doing credible, quality and durable roads, we would not be complaining or lamenting now.

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“A lot of these roads within the Benin metropolis were actually rehabilitated and repaired during the immediate past government.”

The commissioner also criticised supporters of the former governor who, he said, had been attacking the present administration on social media over the condition of roads in the state.

Afegbua said the government had assessed roads in areas including GRA, Iyekogba Estate, Irihrih and Okoroma, claiming that many had developed potholes and deteriorated despite being rehabilitated under the previous administration.

He said, “The level of road decay experienced now shows that the roads then were quantity, not quality, jobs.

“We did an assessment of the GRA, Iyekogba Estate, Irihrih and Okoroma roads, and the roads were purportedly done by the Obaseki administration.

“If you go there now, the roads are full of potholes and are decaying. One begins to wonder what the celebration was about. Roads were supposed to last a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years.

“I am making records of these roads because we are being criticised on social media and people wonder what we are doing.

“No construction engineer will attempt to fix potholes and bad roads during the rainy season. We are experiencing heavy rain now.”

Afegbua appealed to residents to give the Okpebholo administration more time, assuring them that the government remained committed to making roads across the state motorable.