Austine Ikubese Demands State of Emergency on Benin Roads

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Human rights activist and public affairs commentator, Chief (Comrade) Austine Ikubese, has issued a passionate call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency on two critical highways: the Benin By-Pass to Asaba Road and the Benin–Warri–Sapele Road.

Ikubese, who recently penned an open letter to the President on Nigeria’s governance challenges, warned that the deplorable state of these roads has become a national disgrace and a threat to lives, commerce, and unity. He stressed that while the administration has invested in projects like the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, neglecting these vital arteries linking the South West, South South, and South East is “a misplaced priority.”

“Mr President, watching the video of a traveller lamenting on the Benin By-Pass road breaks me down. After three years in office, commuters still suffer on these roads. I urge you to give marching orders for 24-hour rehabilitation works within one month,” Ikubese declared.

Drawing from his recent travels in the United States, Ikubese contrasted Nigeria’s poor road maintenance culture with America’s 250-year-old infrastructure, emphasizing that fixing inner roads would save lives and boost the economy. He cautioned that political campaigns in the South South and South East would be undermined if these roads remain impassable.

Ikubese further argued that genuine development projects, not campaign propaganda, will win the President organic support among struggling Nigerians. He urged Tinubu to personally monitor the rehabilitation efforts, insisting that visible action would earn more goodwill than “listening to sycophants blinded by personal gain.

”The activist attached video evidence of the Benin By-Pass’s condition, recorded on August 19, to underscore the urgency of his appeal.

Read Ikubese’s full release reproduced hereunder:

URGENT CALL TO MR. PRESIDENT HIS EXCELLENCY BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON THE DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE BENIN BY-PASS–ASABA ROAD AND THE BENIN–WARRI–SAPELE ROAD

Dear Mr. President,

I am compelled to write to you once more, barely a month after I sent you an open letter titled Confronting Nigeria’s Security and Governance Challenges – Can the Nation Reclaim Its Future?

In that letter, I emphasized my experience traveling across five states in the USA during a one-month vacation with my wife in June this year. I observed the quality of their roads and their maintenance culture, even as they celebrate 250 years of nationhood.

Mr. President, in my open letter I urged the Hon. Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to focus more on maintaining our roads, especially the major inner roads across the country. This will save lives and also strengthen our economy by reducing the amount of time wasted traveling on bad roads.

With due respect, it will be a misplaced priority if so much attention is given to the coastal roads linking the South West to the South South and South East—estimated at about 700 kilometers—while we have achieved less than 50 kilometers in three years of your administration. Meanwhile, the aforementioned critical roads remain neglected. I commend you for the ongoing works and rehabilitation on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Shagamu–Ore–Benin Expressway, but the Benin By-Pass and Benin–Warri–Sapele roads demand urgent intervention.

Mr. President, watching a video recorded on August 19th by a traveler lamenting the deplorable state of the Benin By-Pass road broke me down. This road links the South West to the South South and South East. After three years in office, commuters still suffer daily on this route. As a party member for over 20 years, right from your time as Governor of Lagos State, and considering my own painful experience traveling with my family for a traditional marriage in May this year, I am compelled to urge you to declare the Benin By-Pass–Asaba Road and the Benin–Warri–Sapele Road a state of emergency.

I further urge you to give the Hon. Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, and the Governor of Edo State a marching order to commence 24-hour rehabilitation works on these two vital roads, with a timeline of no more than one month to make them passable for commuters. Permanent solutions should follow immediately to ensure lasting rehabilitation.

Mr. President, your urgent attention and personal monitoring of this matter, as a servant leader, will earn you more goodwill and votes from the people of the South South and South East than appointing any Zonal Director General to campaign for your re-election.

In my last letter, I mentioned that you must begin to take actions that will make Nigerians—especially the vulnerable ones enduring the hardship of your reform agenda—develop genuine love for you, just as they do for your opposition. Tangible dividends of democracy will surely earn you more support than listening to sycophants blinded by personal gain.

Attached is the video of the deplorable condition of the Benin By-Pass road to Asaba, recorded on August 19th, to draw your urgent attention to this matter.