Currently, all the entry points into Benin City via federal roads are in terrible condition, causing immense hardship for road users, including motorists, passengers, and business owners.
The situation is no better on the bypass connecting the Sapele Road area of the state capital, linking Upper Sokonba, Agbor Road, Benin-Auchi Road, and terminating at the Benin-Lagos Expressway.
Entering Benin from the Lagos-Benin Expressway, the Ovia bridge, notorious for accidents and loss of lives, signals the deteriorating state of the road from that direction into the state capital.
The road from Akure, Ondo State, into Benin City is riddled with potholes. The stretch from Sobe, Agbanikaka, Owan, and Odiguetwe into the city, as well as from Asaba in Delta State, is marred by poor road conditions from Ighoneki through the bypass and into the city.
These roads are plagued by crater-like gullies, and large sections of the uneven roads have worn tar surfaces, causing inexperienced drivers, especially those with inadequate tires, to dangerously veer off the road into nearby ditches.
The Benin-Auchi-Okenne-Lokoja Highway bears the brunt of this problem, with deteriorating sections starting from Urokhosa near Benin City and continuing all the way to Ewu, with a brief respite of less than five kilometers into Agbede. However, from Agbede to Auchi, the road conditions worsen, and the same applies from Okpella to Okene in Kogi State.
The contract for the road's reconstruction was awarded in 2013 under President Goodluck Jonathan, with Mike Onolememen from Edo State as Minister of Works. Traveling from Benin to Sapele and Warri or vice versa is an eyesore. The most affected roads along this route are after Adesuwa Junction within Benin City, then Peanut Junction, RCC, and the bypass.
From the bypass, Ologbo is a nightmare for road users, and this continues into Delta State. The road is so deteriorated that a journey that once took 50 minutes to one hour from Benin to Warri now requires at least four hours, and even more if it rains.
