Tinubu Orders Full Reconstruction of Benin-Asaba Road – Umahi .... Says 136km highway returns to Works Ministry as First Niger Bridge reopens

"The return of the road to the ministry had removed the obstacle that previously prevented the Federal Government from taking direct responsibility for its reconstruction." Umahi.

Senator David Umahi, Nigeria's Minister of Works, has said President Bola Tinubu has ordered the comprehensive redesign and reconstruction of the 136-kilometre Benin-Asaba Road as a dual carriageway following its return to the Federal Ministry of Works.

Umahi disclosed this on Thursday during the reopening of the First Niger Bridge on the Asaba-Onitsha Road, assuring motorists that remedial works were ongoing on critical sections of the Benin-Asaba highway ahead of the commencement of permanent reinforced concrete pavement construction.

The minister said the return of the road to the ministry had removed the obstacle that previously prevented the Federal Government from taking direct responsibility for its reconstruction.

“What stopped the Ministry of Works from reconstructing Benin-Asaba Road, the concessioning of that route, has been unsealed. We now have our route back to the Ministry of Works,” he said.

Umahi added that the redesign of the 136-kilometre road was ongoing and construction would begin after its completion.

“The legacy of President Bola Tinubu, you will see it ongoing on this road. Never again will our people suffer on this road,” he said.

The announcement came as the minister confirmed the reopening of the First Niger Bridge following rehabilitation and safety improvement works aimed at protecting the strategic transport link connecting the South-East and South-South.

Umahi said the Federal Government intervened after concerns were raised about activities threatening the structural integrity of the bridge.

According to him, an inspection revealed that some individuals were removing bolts and cutting iron components from the bridge, describing the activities as dangerous and capable of causing a collapse.

He said the bridge, commissioned in 1966 by Nigeria’s then Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, had suffered from inadequate maintenance over the years.

The minister explained that rehabilitation works, similar to those undertaken on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, included asphalt resurfacing and the installation of median demarcations to improve safety and prevent prolonged static loading.

He listed other measures to protect the bridge as the installation of closed-circuit television cameras, solar-powered lighting and observation centres at both ends of the structure.

Security personnel would use the facilities to monitor activities on and beneath the bridge, while three turnaround passages had been created to enable motorists to manoeuvre safely when vehicles break down.

Umahi, however, said some aspects of the rehabilitation remained outstanding, including repainting the steel structure, completing rust-related maintenance beneath the bridge deck, installing CCTV cameras above and below the bridge, and providing canopies at both ends.

He commended the contractor, SKCC, for the work done so far.

The minister also warned against illegal sand dredging within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges, directing the Federal Ministry of Works' directors in Delta and Anambra states to ensure compliance with the regulations.

He threatened disciplinary action if the activities continued and directed the officials to report any failure by security agencies to enforce the restrictions.

On other infrastructure projects in the region, Umahi said Tinubu had directed the reconstruction of about 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, which traverses the Niger Delta from the Benin axis to Cross River State.

He described the project as a spur of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that construction had not stopped on the coastal road.

The minister said work was ongoing, adding that the remaining sections in Bayelsa and Cross River states would be taken up in the coming weeks.

“The coastal road is the right of the Niger Delta people. And the President will complete that 750-kilometre road. And they will also complete the SPP, which is the full reconstruction of 400 kilometres of East-West Road,” he said.

Umahi disclosed that the designs for the first and second sections of the East-West Road were nearing completion, with construction expected to begin soon.

He also said reconstruction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor had reached about 90 per cent completion, while work was ongoing on a 44-kilometre section in Port Harcourt using reinforced concrete pavement.

In Anambra State, the minister said 33 kilometres of a 107-kilometre dual carriageway project had been completed, while work on a remaining 40-kilometre section from the First Niger Bridge axis was expected to begin within two weeks.

He further highlighted the construction of Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge bypass, a 17.5-kilometre project valued at N172bn, as part of the Federal Government's infrastructure investments in the region.

Defending the use of reinforced concrete pavement on selected highways, Umahi said the approach was intended to deliver durable roads capable of serving Nigerians for decades.

He also defended the Tinubu administration's economic reforms, acknowledging the difficulties faced by Nigerians but arguing that the policies were necessary to prevent a deeper economic crisis and establish the foundation for recovery.

“When you have a wound and you have to stitch the wound, there will be pains at the initial time, but that pain is the beginning of healing,” he said.

“The worse is over. We are now into prosperity. We are into prosperity.”

The minister urged critics to propose practical alternatives to the administration's policies rather than resort to insults and hate speech.

He said the impact of the reforms should ultimately be measured by improvements in the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, particularly households and small businesses.

Umahi also addressed political debates ahead of the 2027 presidential election, rejecting suggestions that support for Tinubu amounted to a betrayal of the South-East.

He argued that democracy allowed citizens to make independent political choices, irrespective of their ethnic or regional affiliations.

The minister urged political leaders and influential figures in the South-East to educate young people on the relationship between democratic participation, infrastructure development and national inclusion.

“Democracy is about development. It is about infrastructure. It is about inclusiveness. The President has done that,” he said.

Umahi maintained that the region's participation in the electoral process was important to its ability to negotiate for further development and attract continued investment in critical infrastructure.