Motorists and commuters plying the Benin-Asaba Highway are enduring days of gridlock and prolonged journeys.

This came as the Federal Government moves to bring in a new contractor to tackle the worsening condition of the strategic 125-kilometre road.

Some travellers reportedly spent as long as three days on journeys that ordinarily should take only a few hours, despite an earlier directive by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for urgent remedial works on the failed sections.

The worsening situation has been blamed on heavy rainfall, deteriorated carriageways, deep potholes and the increasing volume of articulated trucks using the route.

Long queues of vehicles have formed around some of the worst sections, particularly along the Benin Bypass, Benin-Agbor axis, Issele-Uku, Ubulu-Okiti and Onicha-Ugbo, leaving motorists stranded for hours and, in some cases, overnight.

At Ezenei Junction in Asaba, motorists have reportedly resorted to using one side of the expressway because the other has deteriorated badly, with deep potholes filled with rainwater.

Some road users said unsuspecting motorists had fallen into concealed potholes, particularly during heavy rainfall, resulting in vehicle damage and heightened risk of accidents.

A truck driver, Friday Aghama, who travelled from Benin City to Eket, said the condition of the road forced him to spend three days on the journey.

“I left Benin City on Friday and arrived Eket on Sunday. The road is very bad. I will find my way back to Benin City through Warri instead of the Asaba-Agbor axis,” he said.

Aghama added that other truck drivers had warned him that the Benin-Asaba route was virtually blocked, prompting him to consider the longer Warri route.

Similarly, a commercial bus driver, Sylvester Ugo, said his vehicle had been trapped on the road for three days, questioning why the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha corridor remained in such a deplorable condition weeks after the minister’s intervention.

He said commuters and transport operators were bearing the brunt of the crisis, while some roadside traders had allegedly taken advantage of the situation to increase the prices of basic necessities.

“A bottle of pure water that normally sells for N300 is now N500. Other necessities have also increased,” he said.

Ugo appealed to the Delta State Government to complement Federal Government efforts by carrying out temporary repairs at the worst locations to ease the suffering of road users.

Another resident, Peterson Odofia, questioned the delay in addressing the crisis.

“When exactly is government going to fix the road?” he asked, arguing that if the Federal Government could not act swiftly, the Delta State Government should intervene within the limits of its powers.

The prolonged gridlock has also disrupted the movement of passengers and goods between the South-West, South-South and South-East, with transport operators forced to use longer alternative routes.

Motorists said the economic impact extended beyond the hours spent in traffic, as delays were increasing fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance costs, fares and the prices of goods moved along the corridor.

The crisis has now prompted the Federal Ministry of Works to consider replacing the contractor handling the project.

The Federal Controller of Works in Edo State, Babatunde Tajudeen, disclosed this at a press briefing in Benin City on Monday, saying the ministry was intensifying efforts to bring in an alternative contractor within its legal powers.

According to him, Umahi had directed that urgent measures be taken to restore the highway and ease the hardship being experienced by road users.

The road, which runs from the Ring Road Roundabout in Benin City to Summit Junction in Asaba, is a major link between the South-South, South-East and parts of the South-West.

The project is being executed under Phase I of the Highway Development and Management Initiative, a public-private partnership scheme designed to attract private investment into federal road infrastructure.

The Federal Executive Council approved the concession of the Benin-Asaba Expressway to Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) on January 16, 2023.

The 25-year concession operates under a Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement, with the agreement signed on May 23, 2023.

Tajudeen said the project had suffered major setbacks, resulting in the deterioration of the highway and protests by residents on August 16 over the poor condition of the road and slow pace of work.

Umahi and Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, subsequently inspected the highway on August 25.

During the inspection, the minister accused BAECC of gross default, alleging that the company had scarified sections of stable asphalt without promptly reconstructing them, engaged unqualified personnel, lacked the capacity to execute the project effectively and carried out substandard work.

He also blamed the company’s poor traffic management for contributing to severe gridlocks in December 2025 and from August 19, 2026.

Tajudeen said the removal of asphalt without prompt reconstruction had exposed the road base to rainfall and accelerated its deterioration. He added that some sections might now require continuous reinforced concrete pavement instead of the planned asphalt overlay.

He explained that the concession had not been terminated because of the legal processes involved, but said Umahi had proposed a mutual termination and called for another competent federal works contractor to intervene.

BAECC was also directed to restore the scarified sections to the condition they were in before work commenced about 16 months ago.

“Two weeks after the minister’s engagement, no meaningful intervention has been recorded,” Tajudeen said.

His statement underscores the frustration among road users, who say the situation has changed little despite the minister’s earlier order for immediate remedial works.

The renewed crisis has also revived concerns over the 11-kilometre Asaba-Onitsha road project, stretching from Summit Junction in Asaba to Head Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State.

A motorist, Festus Eze, criticised Umahi over his earlier threat to arrest the Managing Director of Hartland Nigeria Limited over the contractor’s failure to complete the project despite reportedly receiving about N14 billion.

“He told us what we want to believe,” Eze alleged, questioning why there had been no reported arrest following the minister’s statement.