The Federal Government is considering a review of the concession agreement for the Benin-Asaba Expressway after blaming the concessionaire for the deteriorating condition of the highway.
David Umahi, Minister of Works, disclosed this during an on-the-spot assessment of the road in Benin, Edo State, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the major corridor.
Umahi said the government would invoke the overriding public interest provision in the concession agreement to intervene and restore the highway, which has subjected motorists and other road users to significant hardship.
He also said competent contractors would be engaged to fix damaged sections of the road while the government reviews the concession arrangement.
The minister criticised the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC), accusing it of lacking the technical capacity required to handle the project.
He particularly faulted the concessionaire for removing sections of existing asphalt before providing adequate drainage infrastructure, despite earlier warnings from the Federal Government.
The project consultant’s representative, Toyin Akinlapa, confirmed that BAECC had been advised to construct drainage before removing the existing asphalt but failed to follow the advice.
Umahi described the removal of asphalt without proper approval as the destruction of public infrastructure and directed ministry controllers to arrest any contractor or concessionaire found removing asphalt from existing roads without authorisation.
He also apologised to Nigerians for the hardship caused by the deteriorating condition of the highway.
Umahi said the government could no longer allow Nigerians to continue suffering because of weaknesses in the concession arrangement.
He said the Federal Government would take steps to restore the affected sections while determining the future of the concession.
Samuel Daramola, BAECC Chief Executive Officer, attributed the slow pace of work partly to heavy rainfall and the volume of traffic on the highway.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, also called on President Bola Tinubu to review the concession agreement, as well as similar public-private partnership arrangements.
The highway has generated widespread complaints from motorists, with multiple failed sections causing severe traffic congestion and, in some instances, leaving travellers stranded for days.
Beyond the Benin-Asaba corridor, Umahi said the Federal Government was considering the complete redesign and reconstruction of major roads linking Kogi, Warri and other parts of Edo State.
He said some of the roads required full reconstruction rather than continued palliative repairs.
“I am disappointed. The President has directed me to redesign all roads from Kogi to Warri and around Edo State. They are to be done with concrete pavement,” Umahi said.
He also urged state governors to work with the Federal Government to address critical road infrastructure within their respective states.
The Benin-Asaba highway was concessioned to BAECC in 2025 for conversion into a 10-lane highway.
The 125-kilometre corridor was part of the Federal Government’s plan to upgrade major transport infrastructure through private-sector participation.
The concessionaire had announced in October 2025 that it intended to complete the project within the stipulated timeframe.
However, the current state of the road has raised fresh questions over the implementation of the concession and prompted the Federal Government to consider direct intervention.
The development also comes as the government reviews other ageing road infrastructure across the country, including the Carter Bridge in Lagos, where structural deterioration has been linked to detached piles, corrosion, inadequate maintenance, sand scouring and illegal sand mining.
The Federal Executive Council has also approved a review of public-private partnership and Engineering, Procurement, Construction plus Financing options for new Carter Bridge and Third Mainland Bridge projects.
