Residents lament as potholes, floods cripple Edo roads
September 10, 2026 2:38 am
•Pothole at a section of the road. Photo: Adeyinka Adedipe
Residents of Benin, the Edo State capital, have called for urgent action by the state government as most intra-city roads have become deplorable.
The most affected roads are within the Government Reservation Area, which were constructed decades ago without proper drainage, while successive governments seem to have abandoned them to decay.
Also, Mission Road, Oba Market Road, Plymouth Road and Ibiwe Road, which are entry points to the Ring Road, now have potholes that hinder vehicular and human movement, as the city centre has become increasingly impassable.
The situation is most hectic in the early hours of the day when workers and business owners struggle to get to work and their places of business, and late in the evening when they return home.
Besides, commercial drivers who were previously barred from dropping off and picking up passengers at the Kings Square have turned the place into a motor park, just as the rains have not helped matters, as vehicles break down in potholes that are usually covered by erosion.
In the GRA, a deep pothole close to the Government House has stopped motorists from using Reservation Road. Ihama Road by the House of Assembly Quarters remains impassable whenever it rains, while Boundary Road towards Airport Road and Adesuwa Grammar School Road suffer the same fate whenever the rain falls.
Also, Giwa Amu, Gapiona and other adjoining roads are at the mercy of floods, as there are no drainages to take the overflow of water out of the GRA.
Gardens built around the Kings Square by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole have become overgrown with weeds, even as hawkers are seen all over the place, turning the walkways into extensions of their stores.
The National Museum, which used to be a point of attraction from any part of the Kings Square, has also become unkempt and overgrown with grass.
Some residents, who spoke with journalists about the deplorable state of the Ring Road, described its current condition as a bad tale ahead of the Oba of Benin’s 10th-year coronation anniversary.
A resident, Mr Osaro Idemudia, bemoaned the ugly scene at the Ring Road, noting that drivers had taken over the area instead of using the Central Park.
“We are not happy with the way the Ring Road is looking. Bus drivers are supposed to take passengers at the Central Park. Look at dirt everywhere,” he added.
Another motorist, James Igie, noted that “the Kings Square represents the image of the state,” and called on the state government to attend to the situation promptly.
“It was sad that the Oba Ovoranmen Square was allowed to look dirty. This is not good and we hope the government will address the situation,” he added.
For Solomon Aibangbee, a businessman, “in the last two weeks, the state of the roads in Edo State has been in the news all over the world. Passengers and motorists spend days passing through Edo State because of bad roads.
“As if that is not enough, you now add the roads within Benin City to the problems. Is Ring Road also a federal road? I ask because that is the usual excuse we hear,” Aibangbee bemoaned.
When contacted for comments, the Managing Director of the Edo State Road Maintenance Agency, Engr. Felix Ibhade, said there were plans to fix the Ring Road.
Ibhade added that Governor Okpebholo had said he would not want to carry out palliative work on the road but a full-blown asphalt rehabilitation.
“So we are on it. Our constraint is the rain because the majority of the roads we have given amelioration, the rain washed them off. So we are waiting for the rain to subside. That is the beauty of the town, and if we don’t do it and after one month it will wear out. We will work in collaboration with the Ministry of Works because it is not going to be an easy job,” Ibhade admitted.
On his part, the Managing Director of the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency, Pastor Stanley Ighodaro, assured that Governor Okpebholo had shown commitment to beautifying Benin City centre and other areas in the state.
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