Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has carried out an unscheduled inspection of the ongoing construction of Ogheghe Road and Old Sapele Road in Benin City, directing contractors to accelerate work to fully exploit the dry season window.
The governor visited the project sites on Sunday shortly after a church service, underscoring his administration’s determination to fast-track critical infrastructure and deliver projects within schedule.
Speaking during the inspection, Okpebholo said the dry season offered a narrow but crucial opportunity for rapid progress, stressing the need for increased momentum on site.
“I have not been around here for some time, so coming to look at this work and see what is going on is important,” the governor said. “We are experiencing the dry season now. Apart from this time, there is no more time. We need to take advantage of the season, so the speed has to be doubled.”
While expressing satisfaction with the quality of work so far, he emphasised that contractors must intensify efforts to meet agreed timelines.
“Now that I’m here, I’ve seen the extent of what they are doing, and they are doing well. But I still need them to buckle up and be faster with the pace of work I’m seeing now. We just have about five months of dry season,” he added.
Okpebholo also explained that photographs taken during the inspection were part of a verification process to ensure strict compliance with approved specifications.
“The reason I snapped those pictures in one of the sections of the road is to see if what is on the ground matches the specification I have in my record,” he said.
Recalling the origin of the 4.1-kilometre Ogheghe–Old Sapele Road project, the governor said it was initiated in response to concerns raised by residents over erosion and public safety.
“When we came here last time, people thought it would never be possible. The reason we are doing this road is because we heard that a child died on this street as a result of flooding and erosion affecting the community. The child was washed away by erosion from this site, and that was the essence of our visit then,” Okpebholo said.
The road project is expected to significantly improve access, reduce erosion-related risks, and enhance safety for residents in the affected communities once completed.
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