Edo Refinery Repairs Failed Sections Of Benin-Sapele Highway
Commuters and motorists plying the Benin-Sapele Highway can now look forward to improved passage following the intervention of Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited to repair several failed sections of the busy road.
The palliative repairs were carried out at critical points along the highway, including Iyanomo, Ekosa, Obayantor Ologbo and Koko Junction in Delta State, where the deteriorating road conditions had caused significant hardship for commuters and heavy-duty vehicle operators.
The affected sections had reportedly deteriorated to the extent that trucks and other vehicles became stranded for days, disrupting the movement of goods and passengers along the corridor linking Edo State with communities in the Niger Delta, including Bayelsa and Rivers states.
The intervention by the refinery was aimed at improving accessibility and preventing trucks carrying petroleum products and other heavy loads from falling into failed sections of the highway, thereby reducing the risk of accidents and further traffic disruptions.
Speaking on the repairs, the Head of Technical Operations of Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, Segun Okeini, said the company’s intervention was prompted by concerns over the recurrence of fatal accidents along the road.
Okeini recalled a fire incident approximately five years ago involving a truck carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at a bad spot in Ologbo, which reportedly claimed the lives of more than 20 people and left several others injured.
He explained that some of the failed sections had deteriorated to nearly the same condition they were in before the incident, prompting the company to take immediate action to address the situation.
According to him, the poor state of the highway had also affected the refinery’s operations, as tankers transporting products to and from the facility were often delayed for days while navigating the damaged sections.
“Our refinery is just about two kilometres ahead, and this area happens to be part of the area of coverage of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),” Okeini said.
He added that community members had approached the company for assistance after the road deteriorated, noting that the refinery’s chairman witnessed the extent of the damage during a visit and authorised the repairs.
“They approached us to help them fix the failed section because most of their people cannot go out of the area.
Our Chairman was around during that period, and he saw the level of damage to the road. Even on that same day, we had about five trucks that fell along the road. He authorised that we should undertake this,” he stated.
Okeini clarified that although the failed sections did not directly affect the refinery’s production activities, the obstruction they caused could prevent trucks from accessing the facility to load petroleum products.
He said the company therefore considered the repairs necessary not only for its operations but also for the safety and convenience of other road users.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of SODEOSA Global Resources, Solomon Uyiekpen, said commuters had endured considerable hardship along the highway before the intervention.
Uyiekpen disclosed that his company collaborated with Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited to carry out the repairs as part of their corporate social responsibility to communities in the area.
Expressing appreciation for the intervention, a member of the Obayantor community, Kennedy Nwazekwu, said the repairs would help reduce the frequency of accidents along the road.
Nwazekwu recalled that more than 20 people had reportedly lost their lives at the affected spot in separate incidents after vehicles fell into the ditch, describing the situation as a source of concern for residents and commuters.
The repairs are expected to improve movement along the Benin-Sapele corridor while addressing immediate safety concerns at some of its most severely damaged sections.
