The Presidency has blamed the contractor handling the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway for the recent failure on the road, describing the incident as an isolated case.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the Federal Government responded quickly after the situation was reported and directed the contractor to take immediate action.
Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Dare said problems could occur on road projects, particularly during the rainy season, but maintained that contractors must take responsibility for the quality of their work.
“I think that first, these are isolated cases. And we all know by the nature of road construction, during rainy season, you encounter problems like this,” he said.
Dare said the government’s role was to identify roads in need of repairs and provide the necessary funding, while contractors were responsible for properly carrying out the work.
He added that the events surrounding the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road showed a failure on the contractor’s part.
“Whatever played out yesterday, we had all the stakeholders there. And it’s important that even the contractor came out, even though he gave excuses, it showed a failure on their part,” Dare said.
His comments followed an inspection of the road by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Tuesday.
Umahi apologised to motorists over the condition of the road and ordered steps towards its total reconstruction, saying temporary repairs would not be enough to solve the problem.
The minister also criticised the concessionaire handling the project and said the road needed to be redesigned and reconstructed.
The Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway has been under reconstruction since the project was flagged off in March 2025. The approximately 145-kilometre corridor connects Benin City in Edo State with Asaba in Delta State.
The road has recently come under public criticism after motorists faced serious difficulties, including flooding, damaged sections and prolonged traffic delays.
Dare, however, said the situation should not be taken as a reflection of all federal road projects across the country.
He pointed to the swift intervention by the Works Ministry, National Assembly members and other stakeholders as evidence that the government was responding to the problem.
“Government has a responsibility to identify the roads that need to be fixed. Government has a responsibility to provide the funding. And then, the next responsibility goes to the contractors to do what is necessary,” he said.
Dare added that the government would continue to demand accountability from contractors handling federal road projects.