Edo NDDC Reps Clarifies Misconception on Benin-Oben-Abraka Road 

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City 

The commissioner representing Edo State on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board, Mr. Patrick Asowerien, has clarified the purported inauguration of the Benin-Oben-Abraka-Road by the Minister of Regional Development, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh.

Last weekend, Youths of Oben, under the auspices of UGU Youth Development for Change led a protest, claiming that the minister inaugurated a phantom road project that only existed on paper.

However, the NDDC board member representing Edo State in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City, capital the state, said what the minister inaugurated was the first phase of the 9.8-kilometre Oben axis of the Benin-Abraka Road, stating plans were afoot to launch the second and third phases later.

Asowerien, who stated that the narrative presented by the protesting youths was misleading, emphasised that it is inaccurate to claim that the federal government has completed and inaugurated the Abraka-Oben Road when, in reality, it is still an ongoing project.

He added that both the NDDC and other partners are working together to continue to improve the living standards of the people. 

“No one has said that the federal government has completed the Oben section of the Benin-Abraka Road project,” Asowerien clarified.

He also noted that construction work has not yet started on the Orhionmwon section of the 12.18-kilometer Oben-Umugun Road, which connects to the Benin-Abraka highway.

Furthermore, he commended Momoh for including these crucial link roads in the ministry’s budget for 2025 and assured that the construction of the link roads connecting Edo and Delta States is being prioritised.