By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South 

That the Benin-Agbor Federal highway is in a disgraceful disorder is undebatable, but that it is completely in scraps the manner I saw it, Sunday, October 29, is shell-shocking.

 I voyaged from my Asaba, capital of Delta State, “the big heart of the nation”  on the calendar day to Benin City, capital of Edo State, “the heartbeat of the nation” to keep an appointment with my lawyers over a private matter.

Tongue-tied

However, what I went through was jaw-dropping. I was dumbstruck by the rickety motorway, especially at the Edo end, where the Benin bypass has turned impassable.

 Before I embarked on the October 29 trip, I knew that angry residents and truck drivers of a community, very close to Benin City, had laid siege to the road for three days, demanding the Federal and Edo state governments to intervene, and fix the road. 

 Besides the excruciating difficulties travelers encounter, businesses around the area have taken a plunge because of the ramshackle road.

 I was in contact with one of our workhorse Correspondents in Edo State, Ozioruva Aliu, who confirmed, October 28 night, that the residents had not pulled apart the blockade, and it was improbable that they would do away with it the next day.

 With my wife course-plotting our car, and my last son sitting behind, the movement to Edo State was somewhat smooth, and having passed Okhuaihe axis, and gliding towards Benin City, I started to ruminate on the hoopla about the road. It was then that the drama started unfolding 

 On the right lane from Asaba, there was before us a complete standstill, and no more movement of vehicles from Benin City. Some youths diverted the vehicles from the Agbor side, including mine, to the other lane at a dilapidated spot, where some trailers had broken down in the bid to turn at the corner. 

Illegal toll collection

That was the first illegal toll collection point. They collected N100 and above as “tithe” from motorists eager to “crossover” to the open lane to avoid being trapped.

 Facing Benin City on the left side of the road, where we almost ruined our shaft negotiating a bend, we found ourselves muddled with thousands of unmoving trailers lined up on the way.

 We were lucky as they waved the Sedan vehicles to pass on the one way until we got to a diversion, entirely off the highway unto a bush path that led us to a village on the outskirts of Benin City.

 I knew the reason for the diversion must be because of the blockage of the Benin-Agbor road by residents, but never knew the Benin bypass was completely unpassable.

 From the village, we managed to get to the Warri side of the Benin bypass after paying N100 each at five different barricades mounted by youths inside the community.

 It was at this point I realized that vehicles were not coming from Agbor Park area in Benin towards the bypass because they also mounted blockades at the Benin Depot fence, Christ Chosen Church of God, Winners Chapel and other places.

 With the several barricades, we could not proceed to the King Square area in Benin City, from the bush path we emerged, close to the bypass. My wife, who was the pilot, suggested we found a way to get to the Aduwawa side on the Benin City – Ehor – Ekpoma road.

Another convoluted maneuvering

Another round of torturous journey commenced again, as we joined other motorists routing streets covered by bushes, and potholes, meters from the decrepit bypass.

 We got to a point where we left the bush and entered a fairly good portion of the bypass, but the joy was short-lived, as we ran into a petrol tanker that fell and spilled its petrol content while dodging the craters.

 Despite the recent explosion of a tanker over a similar incident in Delta state, which took lives and maimed many, jobless youths were busy fetching fuel with gallons on Sunday.

 Not even the presence of two uniformed soldiers, apparently deployed to ward off the trespassers deterred them.

 A man clutching a long wood chased away the youths, who stormed the scene from different directions scooping fuel. In fact, as the man pursued some, others rushed from another direction with buckets to scoop petrol, not minding the danger.

 The soldiers also got tired of chasing the boys. Besides the fallen petrol tanker, another lorry also fell on the other side of the road, effectively cutting off the bypass at this juncture.

 We went back to the bush paths, where after a lull of two hours, still on the way to the Aduwawa area, I counted not less than 15 more barricades mounted by jobless youths, who collected between N100 to N200 from each vehicle driver.

7 hours for less than an hour’s journey

By the time we passed the last illegal toll collection point before we hit the Benin- Ehor- Ekpoma- Auchi, I had expended at least N5,000. 

 I started my journalism career in Benin City and left the ancient city in 2004 after 13 years. I rarely traversed other parts of the city on subsequent visits. Therefore, I marveled at the transformation and development that had seen the Eyaen community become part of Benin City, long before now.

 I saw that NTA, Benin City, situated on the outskirts of Benin City, and other organizations on that axis are now inside the town with a four-lane road.

 We left Asaba at about 10.00 am and finally got to King Square at about 5.00 pm, a trip that ordinarily would not have taken more than an hour, took us seven hours 

 At the hotel room later in the night, I discovered my blood pressure had risen with a nagging headache tormenting me. What if I were the one that drove?  

 I was happy that I got to Benin City, but sad on how I got there. I called a younger brother resident in the Oba’s enclave to alert him that I was in town, the next day, and he did not believe me. His question: “From where did you enter Benin, did you fly?” 

 Aliu, our man in Benin City did not believe his ears when I called him on arrival. I guessed he only believed me when I later confirmed that I had checked in at the hotel he booked for me.

 With the experience of the previous day, I made up my mind not to travel back to Asaba the next day, Monday, after meeting with my lawyers on the same route. Like my younger brother and Aliu, my solicitors also wondered how I came to Benin City 

Out-of-touch lawmakers

Snoozing the previous night, I likewise wondered which road our Senators and Members of the House of Representatives said they wanted their multi-billion naira SUVs to ply. Except they are not in touch with their constituents, let it be known that even a trailer cannot pass the Benin bypass now, let alone an SUV. I doubt if they visit their constituencies the way they claim all the time.  

 What is required is for the government to fix the road for every vehicle to pass, and not the lawmakers masturbating their ego, saying they needed  SUVs because of the dilapidated Nigerian roads.

 I returned to Asaba the next day, but not through the Benin end. We had to journey to Ehor in Edo South senatorial district, from where we took another long stretch of a road to emerge somewhere, near Ugoneki on the Benin-Agbor road, and from there to Asaba

 We were to hit Ebelle in Esan land, Edo Central senatorial district, and proceed to Igbanke, the border town between Edo and Delta state, but the Igbanke to Agbor was a write-off, so we did not bother.

Obaseki’s intervention

I thought about how to get to Governor Godwin Obaseki to report my experience, but barely 24 hours after I returned to Asaba, I learned that he visited the Benin-Agbor road, and directed the commencement of palliative work.

Reports, yesterday, indicated that indeed, the state government commenced the palliative work on the failed portions of the Benin-Agbor Road in Ikpoba/Okha Local Government Area, and others to ameliorate the sufferings of motorists and other road users who ply the road.

Obaseki, who inspected the ongoing palliative work, following the refusal of the Federal Government to attend to the road, and other failed federal government roads across the state, lamented the poor condition of the road and the hardship imposed on the people due to the poor state of the roads.