By Chris Osa Nehikhare
It has now been a full year since the All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed office with grand promises and empty assurances. The clearest symbol of that deceit and neglect is the Benin–Sapele Road — a lifeline that has been left to rot, abandoned by those who shout “2.5 million votes for Tinubu” the loudest.
For years, this critical artery linking Edo to Delta and beyond has been a nightmare. Governor Godwin Obaseki, alarmed by the suffering of citizens and the economic losses the road’s decay was causing, repeatedly drew attention to its deplorable state. He even invited the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, to witness firsthand the tragedy that the road had become. Yet, instead of action, we got political statements and ridicule.
In the heat of the 2024 elections, the APC and its enablers told Edo people that once “an APC government” was in place, the Benin–Sapele Road would be fixed. Today, a year later, the road is worse than ever — a cratered, dangerous path that has claimed lives and livelihoods alike. The only thing that has improved is the volume of excuses.
Rather than governance, all we hear from the APC-led administration in Edo are slogans and sycophancy. We are constantly reminded about the “2.5 million votes for Tinubu” and the “humongous” allocations Edo supposedly receives — as though those funds were presidential gifts, not constitutional entitlements owed to every Nigerian state. Governance has been reduced to political hero worship; development has been replaced by blind loyalty.
When Minister Umahi resurfaced recently, one would have hoped he came with concrete plans for the Benin–Sapele Road. Instead, he sold Governor Okpebholo and his chorus line of loyalists a 100km stretch of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway that would supposedly pass through Edo. When asked about its cost or readiness, Umahi casually admitted that the designs were not even done. A phantom project for a forgotten people.
Meanwhile, the Benin–Sapele Road continues to claim lives and crush businesses. The people’s patience is exhausted.
To his credit, Governor Okpebholo — perhaps out of sheer frustration — finally admitted what has become painfully obvious: the APC federal government does not consider Edo a priority or a ‘state of particular concern’. His announcement that the Edo State Government would now award the contract and later “send the bill to Abuja” was both a confession and a cry for help. A confession that the much-touted alignment with Abuja has yielded nothing; and a cry that Edo must take its destiny into its own hands.
We commend the Governor’s courage to finally say aloud what many of us have known — that the APC federal government treats Edo like children of a lesser god. But words must now give way to action. If indeed we recognize this failure, then it is time to review our zombie-like loyalty and demand accountability from those who are taking our votes, support and loyalty for granted.
Edo deserves better. The Benin–Sapele Road must be fixed — not with excuses, but with asphalt. And the people of Edo must begin to see through the political deceit that hides failure behind slogans. For now, what we see after one year of APC’s rule is not progress, not empathy, but 365 wasted days.
