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Gridlock as commuters block Benin-Warri federal road
By Ozioruva Aliu – Benin City
There was difficulty plying the very bad portion of the Benin–Sapele–Warri near the bypass Thursday as road users and residents in the area took over the bad portion of the road as they protested the bad state of the road and seeming abandonment by both the federal and state government.
They said several petitions written to the state and federal governments have not been responded to positively.
Speaking to newsmen, a resident in the area who said he is the chairman of Sapele Road By-Pass Axis, Daniel Omorogbe said; “Some of our children can no longer go to school. Our cars are bad.
“We are finding it difficult to use this road, and this road connects to the Niger Delta and those coming from the Niger Delta axis to other parts of the country also pass through here. Trucks coming from the north to the Niger Delta also pass through here.
“Three months ago, we wrote to the Senate, House of Representatives, we wrote to the Ministry of Works, the state House of Assembly and even the governor of the state, still nothing has been done so we are tired.
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“We are going to stay here until the government listens to us. We are going to continue to remain here till they answer.
“They come here to be using labourers to work using head pans and wheelbarrows and once rain falls, the whole place will collapse and get flooded.
On his part, Omo Osifo said “we now spend hours; from by-pass to Ring Road used to be N150, now we spend up to N500 because of the state of the road especially when it rains.
“They were rushing a woman to the hospital for delivery but because of the bad road, there was traffic and she delivered, it was a good Samaritan that now rushed her to a nearby hospital. What if that good Samaritan was not there?”
Another resident and road user, Mrs Sandra Otaigbe, said “we want to make it known to the federal and the state government that good social amenities are not a privilege but a right.
“If it rains people are stranded, you see little children trekking with their launch bags after school because of the bad situation when it rains.”
When contacted, the Federal Controller of Works and Housing, Edo State, Razaq Aransiola declined comments saying he would call back which he is yet to do as at the time of filing this report.
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