Benin-Abraka Road Reconstruction: Orhionmwon Residents Laud Obaseki For Awarding Contract

…as work progresses on St Saviour, other roads

Days after the award of contract for the reconstruction of the Benin-Abraka Road, some residents in Orhionmwon and Ikpoba-Okha communities have lauded the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration for embarking on the ambitious project.

Their commendations are coming as work on the reconstruction of St Saviour Road and several other roads in the state are ongoing.

Inhabitants of communities in Orhionmwon said that "on completion, the Benin-Abraka Road will spur socio-economic activities, rural-urban migration of youths will be stemmed while agribusiness, in particular, will receive huge boost."

The 106km road provides access to hundreds of communities in Ikpoba-Okha, Orhionmwon and parts of Delta State.

A tour of portions of the road showed that while the Upper Sokponba end of the road seems hitch-free, this is not the case a few kilometres away as ditches, potholes and bumps are common sights as motorists have hectic moments driving on the road.

Sometimes motorists will have to wait for one another and when some fail to cooperate, skirmishes, traffic congestion take a toll on the road users.

"The award of the contract to reconstruct the road by Governor Obaseki is a gesture that was received with applause by many of us," Mr Osaro Osarobo who lives in Evbarue said.

He explained that the execution of the contract will facilitate movement of farm produce to city centres while motorists will reduce their visits to mechanics.

According to Emmanuel Odigie, who is the State Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, "the reconstruction of the road will engender more involvement of people in agricultural activities, encourage processing industry and stem the drift from rural communities to urban centres."