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By Ruona Agbroko
August 17, 2009 11:43AMT
If they were lucky, potential travellers on the Benin Ore federal road would have a discussion with Bello Ogbeiwi before they started because Mr Ogbeiwi has seen it all. The driver with Edegbe line has been working on the route for 25 years and has driven through the gradual deterioration of the road.
Mr. Ogbeiwi, who has been travelling on the route for the past 25 years, said movement on the road was easier than it was some weeks back.
"The road has been far worse," he said. "Occasionally, they do some patching here and there. Right now, they say they (government) are on it, so we are hopeful. The Benin side is good, but when you want to enter Ogun State, it is another thing entirely. A driver has to be experienced to be able to minimise the harsh effect of the road on his passengers. It takes over five hours to get to Lagos.
In fact, I think the only people who will gain from this road being bad are those who hawk fruits, food and drinks along the way." In May this year, the Federal Government signed a raft of contracts worth ₦140 billion towards the rehabilitation of 32 major roads across the country. One of the benefitting roads was the Lagos - Benin expressway, which had been begging for attention for years.
Section I of the Sagamu - Ore - Benin road was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC) at ₦9.7 billion, with a completion period of 30 months; while the Sagamu - Ajebandele part of the road, (Section II), awarded to Borini Prono Nigeria Limited, worth ₦2.4 billion, is to be completed in 18 months.
This was the first major effort in years to repair the perennially bad road that connects the western part of Nigeria with the east, the south and the middle belt - linking 12 of the nation's 36 states.
On August 6, 2007, the then newly appointed Minister of Transport, Diezani Allison-Madueke stood on the road, before a gaggle of newsmen, and cried. She apologised to Nigerians for the long years of neglect that the road had suffered and promised that the ministry would spend over 80 percent of its resources for the road's rehabilitation and repair.
Before Mrs. Allison-Madueke became Minister of Mines and Steel Development a little over two years later, not much had changed about the state of the road. Yet, everyday, thousands of people and large quantity of goods pass through the road. Its deplorable state has attracted more media attention than any other road in the country.
NEXT's travel on the road about two weeks ago, showed that work was ongoing at various points. However, the long duration of the contracts and constant maintenance, even when completed have become a source of concern for travellers.
"There are virtually no options for an alternative movement of people, goods and services between the East and the Western parts of this country," Comfort Agiri, a woman travelling between Benin and Lagos said. "It is only through this road, which is why people will continue to use it regardless of how it is." Edegbe Line is one of the more popular bus operators on the Benin-Lagos route.
One of its drivers, Mr Ogbeiwi, provided some insight into the travails of his profession. "About 40 buses leave from here (Edegbe line's terminal) each day for Lagos, each with at least 11 passengers," he said. "Add that to the other big transporters, at least six, that are on this same route and you can see the volume of traffic we have on the road each day.
That is apart from traders, those using smaller transport companies or people coming from the East, and even the North."
The curse of potholes
Indeed, the woes of travellers on the road peaked in 2007 during the Christmas period, with motorists and passengers spending up to ten hours between Benin and Ore. This stretch used to be covered in less than three hours. As a result, passengers from the Eastern states boycotted the road altogether, whilst air flights doubled. Mrs. Allison-Madueke's famed visit happened during this period.
With transport fare in the region of ₦3,200, passengers resorted to resignation and resentment. "The thing is to adapt", said a middle-aged man. "If you want to get to Lagos on time, you must enter the road on time, that's all." Beatrice Adankpa, a student, spoke in similar manner.
"What can we do? The ministers, senators and governors are the ones enjoying. All they have to do is jump on a plane and reach Lagos in 40 minutes, not so?" As though corroborating this ‘helplessness', leaving Ondo State and heading towards Sagamu presents a pitiable scene.
A section of the road has been severely eroded, and lies open-ended towards a 3-feet ditch filled with trees, all shooting out from a river of muddy water. There are no boulders, no handrails nor signs to protect or warn motorists of the danger ahead.
"Do you know how many people have died here? Imagine people passing here at night and no warning, no signboard, armed robbers...In fact, I need to drive faster. Night is coming."
Mr. Ogbeiwi, who has been travelling on the route for the past 25 years, said movement on the road was easier than it was some weeks back.
"The road has been far worse," he said. "Occasionally, they do some patching here and there. Right now, they say they (government) are on it, so we are hopeful. The Benin side is good, but when you want to enter Ogun State, it is another thing entirely. A driver has to be experienced to be able to minimise the harsh effect of the road on his passengers. It takes over five hours to get to Lagos.
In fact, I think the only people who will gain from this road being bad are those who hawk fruits, food and drinks along the way." In May this year, the Federal Government signed a raft of contracts worth ₦140 billion towards the rehabilitation of 32 major roads across the country. One of the benefitting roads was the Lagos - Benin expressway, which had been begging for attention for years.
Section I of the Sagamu - Ore - Benin road was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC) at ₦9.7 billion, with a completion period of 30 months; while the Sagamu - Ajebandele part of the road, (Section II), awarded to Borini Prono Nigeria Limited, worth ₦2.4 billion, is to be completed in 18 months.
This was the first major effort in years to repair the perennially bad road that connects the western part of Nigeria with the east, the south and the middle belt - linking 12 of the nation's 36 states.
On August 6, 2007, the then newly appointed Minister of Transport, Diezani Allison-Madueke stood on the road, before a gaggle of newsmen, and cried. She apologised to Nigerians for the long years of neglect that the road had suffered and promised that the ministry would spend over 80 percent of its resources for the road's rehabilitation and repair.
Before Mrs. Allison-Madueke became Minister of Mines and Steel Development a little over two years later, not much had changed about the state of the road. Yet, everyday, thousands of people and large quantity of goods pass through the road. Its deplorable state has attracted more media attention than any other road in the country.
NEXT's travel on the road about two weeks ago, showed that work was ongoing at various points. However, the long duration of the contracts and constant maintenance, even when completed have become a source of concern for travellers.
"There are virtually no options for an alternative movement of people, goods and services between the East and the Western parts of this country," Comfort Agiri, a woman travelling between Benin and Lagos said. "It is only through this road, which is why people will continue to use it regardless of how it is." Edegbe Line is one of the more popular bus operators on the Benin-Lagos route.
One of its drivers, Mr Ogbeiwi, provided some insight into the travails of his profession. "About 40 buses leave from here (Edegbe line's terminal) each day for Lagos, each with at least 11 passengers," he said. "Add that to the other big transporters, at least six, that are on this same route and you can see the volume of traffic we have on the road each day.
That is apart from traders, those using smaller transport companies or people coming from the East, and even the North."
The curse of potholes
Indeed, the woes of travellers on the road peaked in 2007 during the Christmas period, with motorists and passengers spending up to ten hours between Benin and Ore. This stretch used to be covered in less than three hours. As a result, passengers from the Eastern states boycotted the road altogether, whilst air flights doubled. Mrs. Allison-Madueke's famed visit happened during this period.
With transport fare in the region of ₦3,200, passengers resorted to resignation and resentment. "The thing is to adapt", said a middle-aged man. "If you want to get to Lagos on time, you must enter the road on time, that's all." Beatrice Adankpa, a student, spoke in similar manner.
"What can we do? The ministers, senators and governors are the ones enjoying. All they have to do is jump on a plane and reach Lagos in 40 minutes, not so?" As though corroborating this ‘helplessness', leaving Ondo State and heading towards Sagamu presents a pitiable scene.
A section of the road has been severely eroded, and lies open-ended towards a 3-feet ditch filled with trees, all shooting out from a river of muddy water. There are no boulders, no handrails nor signs to protect or warn motorists of the danger ahead.
"Do you know how many people have died here? Imagine people passing here at night and no warning, no signboard, armed robbers...In fact, I need to drive faster. Night is coming."
*Photo by Hyacinth Iyerosa
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