The Edo State Government has approved the revocation and re-award of the contract for the failed section of the Benin-Abraka Road at Ikpe Waterside in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa disclosed this Wednesday during a meeting with Okaigheles, youth leaders and residents of Ikpe Waterside and neighbouring communities who protested the condition of the road.
Idahosa said Governor Monday Okpebholo approved the decision to revoke the existing contract and award the project to a competent contractor.
He said the affected road was divided into two sections and awarded to two contractors before the current administration assumed office on Nov. 12, 2024.
According to Idahosa, while one contractor had completed about 76% of its assigned section, the contractor handling the Ikpe Waterside section failed to deliver the project to the required standard.
He said palliative work would begin on the worst sections of the road while the procurement process for the re-award is completed. The local government would also be directed to carry out emergency repairs to ease difficulties faced by motorists.
Following assurances from the deputy governor that the government would intervene, the protesters voluntarily dismantled barricades erected along the road, allowing motorists to pass.
Idahosa said the administration would address infrastructure deficiencies inherited across the state's 18 local government areas and three senatorial districts. He also said he would personally monitor the rehabilitation to ensure the road meets the required standard.
The deputy governor further assured residents that their complaints over the alleged takeover of ancestral farmlands and their subsequent allocation to agricultural investors would be examined.
Earlier, spokesperson for the protesting communities, David Ehiarinmwian, said their concerns extended beyond the road and urged oil and agricultural companies operating in the area to contribute more to the development of their host communities.
Ehiarinmwian also called for a review of the buffer-zone policy governing the allocation of land to agricultural investors, saying it had affected local farmers' access to ancestral farmlands and traditional farming practices.
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