By Adedoyin Oguntade
On September 17, a ghastly accident claimed eighteen lives in a road accident along the Ogbere axis of the Benin-Sagamu expressway. The Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed that the bad road caused the accident which involved a Toyota Hiace vehicle. It was reported that eyewitnesses and the driver, who was the sole survivor of the accident, confirmed that “a jerry can filled with PMS fell over when the bus hit a bad section of the road.”. Similar accidents had occurred in the past.
The Benin-Shagamu expressway is in poor condition despite receiving multimillion-naira allocations. In the 2024 budget of the federal government, the repair and rehabilitation of the project was allocated the sum of N500 million. It was tagged an ‘ongoing’ project suggesting that previous allocations and possibly disbursements had been made for the same road. However, its condition deteriorates and lives are being lost.
The Benin–Ore–Sagamu Expressway spans 492 kilometres (306 miles), featuring two lanes, and linking Benin City to Ore in Ondo State and Sagamu in Ogun State. This road serves as a crucial connection from the South to the Southwest and North of Nigeria via the Benin–Auchi route.
Under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the Benin – Ofusu – Ore – Ajebandele – Shagamu Expressway was domiciled under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) in 2018 to fast-track the completion of critical infrastructure projects. By January 2022, President Buhari assured that all projects under the fund would be completed by the end of the year. However, in September 2024, the condition of the road worsens.
A section of the Benin-Shagamu expressway, Oríta Lambo, close to the Tollgate, specifically has an accumulation of water on the road, leading to the deterioration of that section of the road. The traffic on the road is congested because vehicles are moving very slowly as they try to navigate through the bad sections.
In August 2023, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) embarked on repairs of failed portions of the Benin-Sagamu expressway in Edo State. FERMA Maintenance Engineer in Edo State, Engr. Muktar Abdulrahim, explained that they have observed that some of the issues experienced in certain sections of the expressway are due to blocked water channels, resulting in water accumulation on the roadway.
In addition to accidents on the road, drivers and commuters who ply through this road complain about how the heavy traffic leads to more consumption of fuel and delays.
Commuters who spoke to this reporter on Wednesday, September 25, complained about how the heavy rain even caused more congestion on the road and drivers who were to convey people from inside Sagamu to Tollgate and its environs increased the fares. Some individuals had to pay about ₦1500 to ₦2000 instead of the ₦500 they pay which is even a high price and a resultant factor of the increase in fuel prices.
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