Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government of playing politics by abandoning Federal Roads in the state.
Naija News reports that the governor made this known following a viral video showing his convoy stuck in a flooded road along the Benin-Sapele road.
Reacting in a statement to Naija News on Sunday, Obaseki’s Special Adviser, Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, accused the federal government of refusing to heed advice and warning signals.
“Edo State is a transportation hub. It is concerning that the major Federal Road network in the State, which connects several parts of the country, is in such deplorable condition.
“These roads include the Benin-Sapele Road, Benin-Agbor Road, Benin-Auchi Road, Benin-Lagos Road at Ovia River Bridge, among several others,” he said.
Speaking further, Osagie wondered why the region where the oil resources that sustain the country come from should be neglected.
He stated that on several occasions, communities have protested the poor condition of the roads, and the state government has intervened by calling on the Federal Government to speed up efforts to fix the roads.
Obaseki’s aide added: “For instance, in October 2022, the governor urged the Federal Government to reconstruct the Benin-Auchi Road because the poor condition of the road had become really dangerous and fueling insecurity in the State.
“The State government also placed a ban on 30-ton and above heavy-duty vehicles passing through state roads as a measure to awaken Federal Government to its responsibilities.
“A few months ago, the Department of State Security (DSS), in its briefing, had noted that the Benin-Sapele Road was on the verge of collapse. The governor had also raised the deplorable condition of Federal Roads in Edo State at National Executive Council (NEC) meetings to impress on the immediate past Federal Government the urgent need to intervene and fix them.
“Three weeks ago, multiple accidents on the Ovia River Bridge on the Benin-Lagos Road led to the loss of several lives, which necessitated renewed calls for the Federal Government to fix the damaged bridge. Our Commissioner for Roads and Bridges has visited the damaged spot several times to inspect and provide temporary palliative.
“Recently, a federal lawmaker representing a constituency in Edo Central had a ghastly accident on the Ekpoma-Auchi-Abuja Road and is hospitalised as we speak.
“The State Government has made spirited efforts to fix these roads, approaching the Federal Government for permission to carry out palliative repairs on them, but the efforts were rebuffed because the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government insisted that the contract to fix the roads had been awarded. This was the attitude of the outgone APC-led federal government.”
He stated that despite these efforts and the appeals made to see reason to fix these roads, the Federal Government has paid deaf ears.
While pointing out that it is now clear that these cries were ignored for political consideration, Osagie said the APC-led federal government is deliberately delaying the fixing of these roads in an attempt to boost the ratings of its comatose state chapter as the governorship elections scheduled for next year draws closer.
He said it is curious that the APC and their social media hacks have taken to social media to accuse the Edo State Government of abandoning these roads, adding that “APC lie the loudest when they lie to themselves.”
“The resort to petty politics when the lives of innocent Nigerians are lost on these roads is unconscionable and despicable.
“The APC-led federal government and state chapter should know that Edo people cannot be hoodwinked. Edo people know and appreciate the tremendous gains Edo has recorded under the Governor Obaseki-led government, and no amount of propaganda will sway them from the path of truth.
“We urge the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, desist from whatever political games it is involved in as regards to these roads, and mobilise the contractors handling the roads to site so as to fix the roads and save Nigerians from the hardship and trauma they have been subjected to for several years,” he said.
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