BENIN CITY: Edo state governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki called for the creation of a special fund that will be used to keep federal roads in good shape pending when the country develops and improves other channels of transportation.
He made the call when he received members of the Senate Committee on Works led by Senator Clifford Odia on a courtesy visit to government house after their oversight function in the state.

Obaseki appreciated them for mobilizing contractors to fix the bad portions of federal roads in the state which he noted has become death traps and slowing down economic activities in the state.

“Edo being strategically located in the country serve a major link to the North, East, and some parts of western Nigerian and contributes immensely to the nation’s development.

He said his administration was investing in agricultural programmes and looks up to the committee to facilitate the on-going federal government projects in the state to reduce pressure on the state road roads.

Earlier, Sen. Clifford Odia, Vice chairman of the Senate committee on works said the Federal Government has commenced palliative work on the Benin-Ekpoma Okene road saying that full rehabilitation of the failed portions of the road would begin after the rains.

Odia said that work began in some portion of the road after the committee had a meeting with the minister of works adding that the complete rehabilitation of the road was captured in the 2017 budget.

“We are in the state as part of our over sight function on federal government projects in the state. We visited the Ewu-Uromi-Agbor road where about 50 per cent of the work has been done while the remaining 50 per cent will hopefully before completed soon’’.

He however lamented that the level of progress of work was slow even as there are high rates of accidents and death on the road especially at Ewu and Ekpoma.

The Senator congratulating governor Obaseki for his affirmation by the Supreme Court, expressed optimism that the governor would take the state to an enviable height going by his systematic approach to governance.

Odia also assured that the three senators representing the state though from different political divide were ready to work with the state government to ensure the people get the dividends of democracy

Other senators in the delegation are Sen. Ben Bruce, Sen. Sani Mustapha and Kunle Ogunleye (clerk of the committee).