By: Pius Alile
There is no doubting Governor Monday Okpebholo’s commitment to a revolutionary road infrastructure development in Edo State, with the ongoing accelerated reconstruction of the dualized Benin – Abuja Road and the flag-off of the Benin – Asaba Highway.
These are critical roads that had been left unattended by the immediate past government on the excuse that they are the responsibility of the federal government. Of course, they are, as they are roads that directly link Edo State, right from the state capital, Benin City, to other states. Nevertheless, the situation of the roads – whether good or bad, has a corresponding effect on Edo State, of which soil they traverse. It is therefore the responsibility of any state governor to ensure that these federal roads cutting across the state are given attention, just as they would give state roads.
Meanwhile, Governor Monday Okpebholo should be commended for the great effort and resources he has committed to the revitalisation of the aforementioned federal highways of which significance to Edo State goes beyond being a passage to other states.
The importance of the perfect condition of these roads, which is of particular interest in this article, is in the potential for being the catalyst of rural – urban integration and rural areas progress and prosperity.
As is well known, the Benin – Abuja and Benin – Asaba Highways cut across several rural communities in Edo State. Besides the communities visible to commuters, there are hundreds of communities linked to these roads. All these communities are affected by whatever conditions the highways are left in.
Over time, as these roads deteriorated, so the vehicular traffic reduced, not just because they were difficult to access, but because people became discouraged from travelling along those axes. This inevitably affected farming, trading and social activities in the linked communities. This had inadvertently constituted a drawback in the rural – urban integration policy which all state governments have always subscribed to. Therefore, letting the highways connecting so many rural communities deteriorate or unfixed, could be ascribed to a lack of understanding or vision on the part of a governor.
Therefore, given the present reality of their reconstruction by Governor Monday Okpebholo, who has only been in office for just over a hundred days, one could say that he has demonstrated an understanding of the importance of these roads, and which align with his vision for rural – urban integration, and rural areas development.
The pace of work on the Benin – Abuja Road underscores Governor Monday Okpebholo’s dedication to getting the job done as soon as possible. This commitment is also expected on the Benin – Asaba Road reconstruction.
The fact of the regenerative impact of the reconstruction of these highways on several rural communities in Edo State having been established, it is pertinent for the State Governor to do much more of direct rural road networking, so as to maximise their potential for attracting commerce and infrastructural development.
It is gratifying to note, however, that this direction is already indicated in the 2025 budget of Edo State Government. What remains is total implementation. All things being equal, there is no doubting that Governor Monday Okpebholo is ready to implement his five-point SHINE Agenda, of which rural areas development is an integral part.
Hon. Pius Alile is the Deputy Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor
