Benin-Onitsha Road Concessioned, Not neglected — Umahi
ABUJA — Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government has neglected the Benin-Onitsha Road, saying the 125-kilometre Benin-Asaba section is currently under a 25-year concession.
Umahi explained that the concession agreement, awarded under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), limits the government’s ability to terminate the arrangement arbitrarily without following due process.
The minister made the clarification in a statement issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the ministry, Mohammed A. Ahmed, in response to criticisms over the condition of the road.
He said while concerns over the state of the road were legitimate, they should be considered within the context of existing contractual obligations and the Federal Government’s ongoing interventions in the South-East.
According to him, the Tinubu administration inherited 2,064 Federal road and bridge projects across the country in various states of disrepair.
Umahi said it would be misleading to attribute the current condition of the Benin-Onitsha Road entirely to the present administration, noting that the road’s concession predates the Tinubu government.
He said the concession covers the pavement and the entire Right-of-Way for development and management by the concessionaire.
“Government is bound by law. It is bound by contract. And it must observe due process,” the minister said.
He warned that terminating the concession without following the required procedures could expose the Federal Government to litigation and substantial financial claims.
Umahi, however, stressed that concessioning the road did not mean the government had abandoned its responsibility to ensure that the road performs optimally.
He said the Ministry of Works had been engaging the concessionaire over the pace of work and demanding improved performance.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government began reviewing inherited highway concession agreements in 2025, with a focus on transparency and performance.
Highlighting ongoing infrastructure interventions in the South-East, Umahi listed the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Road, Afikpo-Okigwe Road dualisation, Onueke Flyover, Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Superhighway and access roads to the Second Niger Bridge among projects receiving government attention.
Others include the Aba-Owerri Road, Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road.
The minister noted that a 15-kilometre concrete-paved section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway was reopened to traffic in April 2026, as part of the administration’s efforts to improve road infrastructure in the region.
