Ongoing reconstruction of failed portions of a federal road; Benin-Sapele Road, by Governor Obaseki
Road networks are integral to societal growth as they open up communities to social activities as well as investment opportunities.
Good roads are lifelines to businesses in any society. It would therefore be unreasonable for any government to engage in any developmental agenda without taking into cognizance the role of road infrastructure within its domain.
Building resilient infrastructure that would support a new and vibrant economy has been a major focus of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration. His desire to transform the state into an enviable tourist destination for both intra and inter commercial purposes remains a cardinal focus of his government.
The long term plan is to improve productivity across the state by upgrading hundreds of kilometres of road networks. This has been projected to facilitate improvement in connectivity, aid local growth priorities and birth new housing opportunities in rural areas.
Road infrastructure has been integrated into the 30-year Master Plan of the state. The economic potential of such a plan is enormous considering the socio-economic impact of roads in urbanization.
The transport sector, for instance which contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a state, is largely dependent on good road networks.
The issue of roads may have generated considerable controversy in recent time, especially from subjective opinion molders who have relied on social media to propagate an anti-Obaseki campaign. While it is understandable for citizens to genuinely express their grievances on issues, it is also crucial to get the facts right to enable one to speak from a position of knowledge.
From the onset of his administration Governor Obaseki showed genuine commitment towards boosting local employment through road infrastructure. The governor knew the importance of attracting new firms by opening up developing/rural areas and therefore began a drastic rehabilitation and construction of road networks that would create employment opportunities for indigenes and locals.
With Obaseki, one thing is certain; the quest to deliver the dividends of democracy through road rehabilitation and construction as well as other strategies. He has engineered a massive road rehabilitation campaign which has continued to provide succour for many residents in the state. Day and night, contractors work. People wake up to see new roads in the state, this gave birth to the name ‘Wake and See Governor’.
That mustard seed of progressive drive by which Governor Godwin Obaseki commenced his administration has metamorphosed into giant infrastructural strides for which the good people of Edo remain grateful. The governor has however stated that he is not resting on his oars as more construction and rehabilitation works are on course.
One hundred and fifty four (154) roads have currently been earmarked for rehabilitation and construction. Though the wet season somewhat delayed the smooth take-off, construction work has once again commenced across the 18 local government areas of the state.
As part of the state’s 30-year Master Plan and with Edo being in a rainforest zone, efforts are being invested into ensuring a sustainable road rehabilitation policy that puts climatic factors which have continued to witness significant changes globally into consideration.
Improved road accessibility increases traffic within a state. As such, Edo State occupying a central and cardinal geographical position within the Nigerian federation, records high amounts of human and vehicular traffic on a daily basis, leading to an increase in commercial activities and revenue generation for the state.
Governor Obaseki’s approach towards providing road infrastructure has continued to boost social and economic activities in the state; granting businesses the enabling environment to thrive unhindered.
by John Ewah
