By Onu Okorie

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government will not allow the prolonged deterioration of the Benin–Asaba Road to continue, despite inheriting a concession agreement entered into by the previous administration.
Umahi gave the assurance on Friday, August 28, 2026, during an inspection of Phase 2B of the Second Niger Bridge at the Nkwerre–Ezunaka section of the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway.
The minister said the Federal Government inherited the concession arrangement with Africa Plus Partners Ltd as part of agreements entered into by the previous administration, but stressed that the overriding interest of Nigerians would remain the priority of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He said the government, however, had to follow due process in dealing with the concession agreement.
Umahi made it clear that the concession would not become an excuse for the government to allow road users to continue suffering on the critical Benin–Asaba corridor.
“Our hands are tied by the concession agreement that was entered before this administration. But overriding public interest is such that we are watching them, and if this suffering continues, we’ll invoke the law of necessity for overriding public interest,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the Ministry of Works had already notified the concessionaire of its default and was exploring available legal options.
Rather than immediately cancelling the concession, Umahi said the Federal Government had also assembled about seven contractors and offered to have them intervene on the road at no cost to the concessionaire.
However, he said the concessionaire insisted that it would undertake the rehabilitation of the road itself.
“They say, ‘No, we will fix it.’ So if we had said no, then they will now go and start earning money from Federation Account, which has been our fear. So we are watching them. We’ve left them. Let them fix the road,” Umahi explained.
The minister also rejected claims that the poor condition of the Benin–Asaba route was evidence of marginalisation of the Southeast, pointing to several major road interventions undertaken by the Tinubu administration along the Lagos–Southeast travel corridor.
He recalled that the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, completed under President Tinubu, had significantly improved movement from Lagos towards the Southeast.
Umahi also highlighted the rehabilitation of the 48-kilometre section leading towards Ore, where, according to him, President Tinubu directed that concrete pavement be adopted because of the difficult condition of the road.
He said one carriageway of the 48-kilometre section had already been completed, while work was progressing on the second carriageway.
The project, he added, also includes the installation of solar lighting and tree planting as part of broader efforts to improve the highway corridor.
Speaking on the political fortunes of the administration, Umahi expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying the President’s infrastructure investments and relationship with the Southeast were strengthening support for his administration.
“President Bola Tinubu is going to win the 2027 election. He’s going to win,” Umahi said, expressing particular confidence in the President’s growing political standing in Anambra State.
He pointed to the performance of progressive candidates in the state’s recent off-cycle elections as evidence of what he described as increasing acceptance of the Tinubu administration and its policies.
The minister’s remarks came as the Federal Government continues efforts to address concerns over the deteriorating condition of the Benin–Asaba Road, a major transport corridor linking parts of the South-South and Southeast and serving as a critical route for commuters and economic activities.