Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, reportedly faced a difficult situation when heavy rainfall flooded the road at the RCC junction on Sapele Road in Benin City, the state capital.
A video of the incident, which occurred on Friday, has been trending online, with a background voice urging viewers to share the video to show that it is payback time for leaders who fail to take needed action to help the people.
The background male voice said, “When we told the government to fix the road, they were busy filling the potholes with broken blocks. They think they are only causing suffering to the masses. Now it is payback time as the masses are not the only ones suffering from the collapse of this road.
The governor is the one inside the vehicle, but it has stopped moving. This is his vehicle (pointing at it), he cannot come down as he is ashamed. Everyone, both the poor and the rich, is feeling the brunt of bad policies in the country,” he added.
After a while, the convoy was seen moving away from the flooded part of the road.
It would be recalled that recently, Governor Obaseki while interacting with journalists in Benin City, said the state government cannot intervene in fixing the Benin-Auchi and Benin-Sapele roads because the Federal Government has awarded contracts for the repair of the roads.
The governor expressed concern that the major Federal Road network in the state, which connects several parts of the country, is in bad condition. His administration has made efforts to appeal to the Federal Government to address the repairs of the damaged Federal Roads in Edo State, including the failed portions of the Benin-Auchi Roads, Benin-Sapele Road, and the Benin-Lagos Road, particularly the Ovia River Bridge, but nothing has been done yet.
He said, “Look at the incident that happened at Ovia River Bridge three weeks ago, in which we lost several lives following multiple accidents. Nothing has been done till now. This shows they don’t care about us in the State.
The issue on the Benin-Lagos Road, particularly the Ovia River Crossing, is becoming catastrophic. We have lost a lot of lives and done everything to get the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Works to work with us and put in place a palliative measure to stop the carnage on that road.”
Regarding Sapele Road, he said, “I was on Sapele Road recently. After the heavy downpour, the road was impassable. What is going on in Benin-Sapele Road is scandalous. I don’t think that any region where the oil resources that sustain the country come from should be neglected.
We have done everything possible. We don’t know what to do again to draw the attention of the federal government to these roads.”
“The Auchi-Ibillo Road was so bad that some of our contractors couldn’t go to their quarry site. We appealed to the Federal Government to do palliative work on that road but they refused, saying the road is under contract. If I want to do the same for Benin-Sapele Road, I am not allowed to do so.
They claim the road has been given out to a contractor. Last year, the Benin-Auchi Road was blocked for about two weeks as food, animals, and petroleum products could not reach their destination. We don’t want such situations this year, so they should help us. We are not here to criticize them but to appeal for help.”
The governor also expressed confusion over the federal government’s policy relating to these roads, noting that in the past, states could rehabilitate Federal roads and give the Federal Government the bills, but that is no longer obtainable.
He added, “At a point, they said we can apply and take over the repair of federal roads, but I am yet to see a state they have given federal roads to fix.”
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