FG Launches Emergency Rescue Operation on Benin-Asaba Expressway
The Federal Government has commenced emergency rehabilitation works on the failed sections of the Benin-Asaba Expressway under its “Operation Rescue” initiative.
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, flagged off the intervention on Thursday, 24th September 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, saying the move is aimed at restoring safe and uninterrupted movement along the strategic corridor.
The 125km highway, which runs from the AIF Roundabout in Benin City to Summit Junction in Asaba, was concessioned to the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) by the previous administration, with site handover completed in March 2025.
According to the Ministry, the concessionaire has shown lack of technical and financial capacity to execute the project. The position was corroborated by the Independent Engineer for the project, Messrs Yolas Consultants Limited, which advised the Ministry to urgently intervene to save the road from further deterioration.
Umahi said he had personally monitored the project through several site visits and had issued directives through the Independent Engineer for the concessionaire to adhere to the Ministry’s standards and methodology, which were not complied with.
“This is not a new contract but an immediate solution to the plight of road users,” Umahi said, stressing that the intervention, to be executed through direct labour and hiring of equipment, is to protect public interest and prevent Nigerians from bearing the consequences of the concessionaire’s lapses.
He assured that the intervention will provide immediate traffic relief while delivering a durable engineering solution to the failed spots, and appealed to motorists to exercise patience and obey traffic directives around construction zones.
Earlier, Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was commended for his swift response during the August protest over the bad road, when he dispatched his Chief of Staff to appeal for calm.
At the inauguration, Governor Okpebholo thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the prompt intervention, while Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, described the rescue operation as a well-desired action to better the lives of the people.
Representatives of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Edo and Delta State Governments, and community stakeholders were present at the event.
In a statement by the Ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to restoring the expressway to a safe, functional and durable condition in the interest of the national economy.
