EDO GOVERNMENT MOVES TO REPLACE FAILED ROAD CONTRACTOR

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.

The Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, disclosed this on Wednesday during a meeting with community and youth leaders who protested the poor condition of the road.

Idahosa said the affected section was awarded to a contractor before the current administration assumed office in November 2024, but the work had not been delivered to the required standard.

He said Governor Monday Okpebholo had approved the appointment of a new contractor to handle the project.

The deputy governor also announced that palliative work would begin on the worst sections of the road while the procurement process for the new contract was completed. The local government would also be directed to carry out emergency repairs to ease difficulties faced by motorists.

The announcement followed protests during which residents erected barricades on the road. The protesters later removed the barricades after receiving assurances from the government.

Idahosa said the government would also examine residents’ concerns over alleged land allocation issues affecting ancestral farmlands in the area.