IT is almost impossible to ply the Benin-Sagamu highway and not end up with a feeling of regret and bitterness at how much seriousness the government attaches to this vital project, and by implication the welfare of its citizens.

The road would rank as one of the worst eye sores in Nigeria today, perhaps only second to the economic despoliation of the Niger Delta region. When one is not avoiding deep gullies and craters or small lakes of water and mud there are the countless diversions and the dozens of police toll gates(sorry, check points), to contend with.

Along this route where citizens spend upwards of 10 hours commuting a distance that should not take much more than three hours, the Police and the Nigerian Customs feed fat on the misery and inconvenience of motorists. At the dozens of toll points they have erected, they ask for every car document, real or imagined and desperately seek any means by which to detain motorists and extort money from them.

A former Minister of Works, upon touring the road a few years ago, shed tears before television cameras. Such was the pitiable state of the road at the time. Unfortunately, many years after that elaborate public relations gimmick, the road is in an even worse state than it was when this minister shed tears.

What is clearly manifest in the circumstances is the abject failure of government to properly construct and maintain this crucial artery that links the west of Nigeria with its eastern and southern neighbors. Year after year, anyone who traverses that route regularly would notice attempts at repair and reconstruction.

But clearly these attempts are half-hearted and largely incompetent. This is because it takes only a few rains for the so-called repairs to be washed away and for gullies and craters to return to the highway. Speaking recently, the Minister of State for Works, stated that what the road needs is a total reconstruction.

While this may be correct, the fact remains that with the government remaining in charge of this road, even if it were reconstructed, it would sooner relapse into the awful state it is in today, given government’s very poor inclination to good and effective maintenance.

Anyone who has seen the new Lekki road would most likely admit that this is one road that is being well constructed. Though there is plenty of traffic and inconvenience at the moment, given that the road is being actively used even while under construction, observing the segments that have been completed shows a painstaking attempt by the private builders to help leave a lasting infrastructure behind. Of course, this makes sense.

The Lekki road has been concessioned to them for 30 years by the Lagos State Government and they recognise that it is in their best interest to have in place excellent infrastructure that can stand the test of time and enable them recoup their investment over time.

It is this sort of approach that the Benin- Sagamu expressway needs. Government needs to concession that road to a private developer who can bring private sector expertise and commitment towards turning that road into a first rate infrastructure. It would not matter if the private developer charges tolls.

I would rather pay tolls and enjoy a three hour drive from Lagos to Benin than pay ten times more tolls to police checkpoints and yet spend 12 frustrating hours driving on a gully-ridden and crime-infested (despite the ubiquitous police presence) so-called expressway. Knowing that it has a long concession and that its interests are very much tied to the state of the road, the private developer will do all it can to ensure a first rate expressway is constructed or reconstructed.

It will also ensure that the all through the year, round-the-clock maintenance is in place to safeguard the road and prevent its deterioration.

Very importantly, a private developer would strive to ensure smooth passage on the expressway and would therefore not permit the army of disgraceful police toll points that dot the expressway at present.

Anyone who uses the Lekki road frequently may also have encountered the presence of the route assistance officers who quickly come to your aid if your vehicle suffers a breakdown.

They would usually provide you with basic assistance to help start your car and take you home, but where this is not possible, they also help to tow your car. If such a service were available on the Benin-Sagamu road, then of course, many hapless victims of vehicle breakdowns would be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Jonathan government has shown considerable commitment to fixing some of the age-old problems of Nigeria, manifested especially in its efforts to solve once and for all, Nigeria’s energy crisis. The government should kindly ensure that it doesn’t leave the problem of this vital expressway to another government to solve. In so doing, it should borrow from the model which the Lagos State Government employed in rehabilitating the Lekki road.

First, it should get a competent and experienced private developer. Secondly, it should get competent officials to negotiate such terms with the developer to ensure for instance that the emergent expressway meets the needs of users but also provides such value added services as route patrols and even lighting if possible.

There are many local and global financial institutions that would jump at an opportunity to be part of this, knowing that the returns in a densely populated country like Nigeria would be very encouraging. What government therefore needs to do is to encourage such companies with necessary trade incentives and consistent policies.

Nigerians who ply the Benin-Sagamu road have suffered for years on end on this open sore of the Nigerian nation. It is time for the government to live up to its responsibility to make life more meaningful for its citizens. In so doing, it needs to be creative enough to do things radically and thus achieve better results than it has achieved in the past.

Mr Paul Akoguna commentator on national issues, writes from Lagos.