Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Works David Umahi for their commitment to reconstructing the dilapidated Benin-Auchi-Okene Highway within a six-month timeline.
During a meeting with the road contractors managing the project last week, Umahi revealed that the federal government has devised a strategy to complete the Benin-Lokoja Road project within the specified period.
Reacting to this development, Okpebholo, popularly known as Akpakomiza, lauded the federal government’s initiative, stating that President Tinubu’s intervention has reignited the hope of the people of Edo State through the road project.
“The president has restored our hope. We were unsure how we would campaign due to the poor road conditions; I commend the minister for his prompt action. If this is how Nigeria operates, everyone would want to return home. Nobody would want to leave the country,” Okpebholo remarked.
The Benin-Auchi-Okene Road project, awarded in 2012, faced delays in completion. CGC, Mother Cat, Dantata and Sawoe, and RCC are responsible for different sections of the project. This project was the focus of the first motion co-sponsored by Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Okpebholo during the 10th Assembly last year. Both senators have intensified pressure on the government, citing concerns that the rainy season would exacerbate the road’s condition.
Additionally, the Edo’Okpa Youth Movement, a Benin socio-cultural group, praised Oshiomhole and Okpebholo for their intervention in the neglected highway project, which the federal government has pledged to address.
Led by Barrister Pascal Ero in a press briefing in Benin, the group emphasized the state’s neglect and the preference of North-to-South traffic to bypass the deplorable Benin-Auchi-Okene Expressway through Lokoja or Okene.
“Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Okpebholo, popularly called Akpakomiza, have demonstrated their ability to collaborate with the federal government to provide Edo people with good roads and better infrastructure,” Barrister Ero stated.
Commending Akpakomiza’s leadership qualities, Ero emphasized the need for action-oriented governance over rhetoric, expressing support for the APC gubernatorial candidate in anticipation of improved infrastructure and development in the state.
