By Ozioruva Aliu
The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi and the Governor of Edo State, Sen. Monday Okpebholo and several other political bigwigs in Edo State on Sunday praised President Bola Tinubu for the step he took in Rivers State to restore normalcy, which they said has ensured ensure peace in the Niger Delta.
They stated this at the flag-off of the 125-kilometre Benin — Asaba Expressway under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that would see the consortium of private companies spend over N200 billion to complete the road in 30 months, toll it, and manage it for 25 years.
Umahi said at the ceremony where the governor of Edo State represented President Bola Tinubu, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, that he would have canceled his trip to some parts of the Niger Delta to flag off roads construction if the State of Emergency was not declared in Rivers State and critical state infrastructure was already under threat and the area becoming unsafe because of the crisis in the state.
The minister said the Tinubu administration is embarking on massive road infrastructure from Kogi State to Edo, Delta, Rivers, Anambra and other parts of the Niger Delta and from Lagos through Ogun, Ondo and Edo into the region.
He also commended Governor Okpebholo’s visionary leadership, which, he said, has turned the State into a construction site in less than 150 days in office.
Umahi said, “the President has taken very bold steps to ensure that there is peace in the Niger Delta Region, I was about to cancel one of my journeys to the region, but the president has ensured peace there now.”
Talking about the construction, he said, “This construction is like a cashless programme. We will not see the money, but the work will continue. We will not be begging for money or quarreling over money issues; instead, we will be checking the projects, and there will be results. The credit will always go to Mr. President.
“The President is working on several sections of roads across the nation ensuring that the country has good roads and people enjoy and benefit from the dividends of democracy.”
To the governor, he said, “We were here about three weeks ago, appealing to you(the governor) to intervene on some sections. You intervened by taking out 23 km of the road and going to Warri for a total contract sum of not less than N40 billion, and that work has commenced.
“The President is doing the second section and third section. The president is doing 20 other projects between Delta and Edo States.
“In less than 150 days in office, you have turned the entire capital city into a construction site. I commend you very highly for this foresight.
“I am an infrastructure person, and when I see good infrastructure going on, like the ones going on at Edo State, I feel very happy and commend you for the hard work.
“We need good infrastructure in this country. Infrastructure is the most important foundation upon which every other program of the State or country thrives.
“Thank you so much for what you are doing for the Edo people. I saw the flyover you are constructing for your people. It is great wisdom. You are not saying this should be done by the Federal Government because we don’t have federal people here in Edo State, but you are doing this for the welfare of the Edo people.
“You took an oath for the welfare of the Edo people, and you are doing justice to that by embarking on people-oriented projects that will benefit the people of Edo State.
“Under you, miracles are happening, and under you, the road-tagged federal roads are now fixed.
“The Federal Ministry of Works has come to Edo State for the third time in less than 100 days not by choice as Mr President directed all these visits. We thank the president for his love.”
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, thanked the president for his foresight in ensuring that the people of Nigeria enjoy good roads across the country. He assured the people that the finances for the project were available, and as such, the projects were sure from start to finish.
Okpebholo, who flagged off the reconstruction on behalf of President Tinubu, said the road is a legacy project, and Edo State is now becoming like Lagos in terms of infrastructural development.
He said, “The President loves Edo State so much that whenever he sees me, he always asks me, “How is Edo? “His second question will be, “How is the Oba of Benin? “
“The good things happening in Lagos are now also happening here in Edo State and we have made progress under my watch as governor.”
He assured President Tinubu that the Edo people would take his re-election in 2027 as a big deal.
“All the local governments will be delivered for Mr President come 2027 because he has shown the difference. We once had a president from this region that never remembered us. Edo is a gateway to the nation, and when the roads are bad, the state’s economy will be bad as well.
“What Mr President did in Rivers State is a welcome development to ensure peace in the region. The decision he took is for the best interest of the economy of this nation as the State needed to be protected. The President was proactive and his decision has saved the economy of the nation,” he added.
The governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, represented, said the road is critical infrastructure that connects the Eastern and Western regions of Nigeria.
He noted that the road would improve the people’s standard of living and urged everyone to work together to ensure its successful completion.
Managing Director of African Plus Partners, Mr. Adeniran Ajakaye, said the route from King Square to the bypass would be like a 10-lane carriageway consisting of 5-carriageways on each side to allow faster movement.
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Works, Olufunso Adebiyi, said the Benin-Asaba Highway corridor is in phase one of the highway development initiative and that many more will be done.
On his part, the Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oshiomhoe, said Edo State has never had is good with massive support from the federal government, even when he was the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, which he said showed the love President Tinubu has for Edo State.
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