BENIN: Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has attributed the poor state of roads and infrastructure across the state to the eight ruinous years of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki.
Okpebholo made the remarks at the weekend while inspecting several dilapidated roads in Edo Central Senatorial District, promising to begin repairs to boost economic activities and improve residents’ quality of life.
In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Fred Itua, the governor and his team inspected a number of roads, including the Onewa-Udomi-Ibhiolulu-Afada-Idumoza-Eko-Uwaya-Ewora roads, as well as failed portions of the New Agbor and Illushin Roads in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area.
During the inspection, Governor Okpebholo queried why the state had suffered from bad roads and poor infrastructure for eight years under the previous Peoples Democratic Party PDP government.
He assured the people of Edo that his administration, with support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would address the issue.
“Bad roads across Edo State are one of the things I inherited from former Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP for eight years they were in power,” he said.
Okpebholo stated that his actions were in line with a recent directive from the president.
“I was with the President about a week ago, and he told us as governors to look into our bad roads and fix them. So, I am going round to implement what Mr. President requested from the Governors,” he added.
“This Illushin road is a major road linking various parts of the country. We are here to match our words with action regarding these roads. We will start work on the road soon.”
Speaking on the importance of the New Agbor Road, a crucial link between the North and Eastern parts of Nigeria, the governor highlighted its dire condition. He lamented that a young girl recently died in a flood on the road during a heavy downpour.
“The road is too bad. Look at the way it is. It is not motorable. A few days ago, during a heavy down pour, flooding killed a little girl here. It is painful to us as a government. This is a critical road, and we need to fix it,” he stated.
Okpebholo announced that his administration is already in discussions with a construction company to begin palliative measures immediately.
“This is Uromi axis, and the road needs to be fixed to avert any kind of disaster that will cause pains to families,” he concluded.
