Commuters Seek Durable Repairs On Warri-Sapele-Benin Road

Commuters and motorists plying the Warri-Sapele-Benin Expressway in Delta State have called on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to ensure that its planned reconstruction of deteriorated sections of the highway is executed to a high and lasting standard.

The appeal followed the recent flag-off by the NDDC for the reconstruction of bad portions of the highway, with motorists expressing relief over the intervention but cautioning against another cycle of temporary repairs.

The road, particularly sections around Ajomata, Ibada-Elume, Amukpe, Sapele, Mosogar and Oghara, has suffered prolonged deterioration, leaving commuters to contend with potholes, flooding, broken-down vehicles and prolonged traffic gridlocks, especially during the rainy season.

A trailer driver, Haruna, who recently spent hours trapped in traffic between Ajomata and Sapele, urged the NDDC to match its elaborate flag-off ceremony with quality construction that would withstand heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions.

According to him, motorists have endured repeated interventions on the highway without a permanent solution to the problem.

“This time the NDDC should match the elaborate flag-off ceremony at the Amukpe roundabout with top-quality jobs,” he said.

Other motorists and residents who spoke on the condition of the road expressed similar concerns, saying a durable reconstruction would spare road users the recurring hardship associated with the highway.

For many travellers, particularly during the rainy season, the journey along the Warri-Benin route has become a source of frustration, with motorists sometimes spending several hours on sections that should ordinarily take only a fraction of that time to navigate.

A motorist, Frank, said he recently spent about four hours between Elume and Amukpe after a trailer fell on the road, further worsening the gridlock.

“I spent four hours recently between Elume and Amukpe. A trailer fell that day. There are big holes on the road and when it rains, it is a problem for trailers,” he said.

The deteriorating condition of the highway has also forced some motorists travelling between Warri and Sapele to abandon the main route and divert through the Eku-Sapele axis and adjoining community roads.

The diversion has increased travel distances and contributed to higher transport fares between Warri and Sapele.

A Sapele resident, Felix Okotie, said he regularly uses the Eku-Sapele route and connects to Warri through roads within neighbouring communities because of the poor condition of the main highway.

Trailer drivers, however, face restrictions on some of the community roads because residents fear that the heavy vehicles could damage roads that were not designed to carry such traffic.

A trailer driver, Nasiru Musa, said heavy-duty vehicles travelling through the Eku-Sapele axis are sometimes stopped from using internal community roads.

A community resident, Ovo, explained that the restrictions were necessary to protect the roads from premature deterioration.

“Our community roads were not built for tankers and trailers. We had to set blockades to stop them from driving through,” he said.

The Warri-Sapele-Benin highway has experienced several interventions over the years. Residents recalled that the NDDC had previously worked on some portions of the road, including the Ajomata/Ibada-Elume-Amukpe-Oghara section in 2023.

There have also been instances where the Delta State Government intervened on the federal highway when sections became severely impassable.

In 2019, the administration of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa reportedly intervened after a section of the road between Adeje and Opuraja was severed, highlighting the recurring challenges surrounding the maintenance of the federal highway.

More recently, former member of the House of Representatives for Ethiope Federal Constituency, Ben Igbakpa, undertook emergency remedial work on some of the worst sections between Oghara and Mosogar.

Igbakpa deployed his tractor, engineers and workmen to the area after receiving reports of motorists spending several hours, and in some cases passing the night, on the road.

He said the intervention was motivated by the hardship faced by ordinary road users.

“I am from Oghara and I live in Sapele. It is an issue. A similar thing happened in Ologbo junction last time and people died before the Delta State Government took a decision even though it is a federal road,” he said.

According to him, the emergency work involved removing marshy topsoil and replacing it with stone base and large stones to improve the affected sections.

He disclosed that the intervention cost him nearly N5 million, excluding the cost of deploying his equipment, stressing that the exercise was only a palliative measure pending the commencement of the NDDC’s reconstruction project.

“I have done between Oghara and Mosogar. It was just palliative I did. I heard the NDDC will come over but before they do people are suffering, so I had to do this palliative,” he said.

The intervention was welcomed by motorists, with Igbakpa saying several road users stopped to appreciate the effort while the work was ongoing.

With the NDDC now set to commence reconstruction, commuters say their major expectation is for the project to provide a permanent solution rather than another temporary relief.

At the recent flag-off ceremony at the Amukpe roundabout, NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said work would commence simultaneously from the Sapele and Warri ends of the highway.

The NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, also disclosed that China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited would be among the firms handling the reconstruction.

Antai appealed to communities along the route and other stakeholders to support the project, as the commission moves to address the longstanding deterioration of the strategic highway.

For commuters and residents, the expectation is that the latest intervention will finally deliver a durable road capable of withstanding heavy vehicular movement and the impact of the rainy season.