A former Nigerian Ambassador to Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Amb. Godknows Igali, has said he sometimes feels like “breaking” his television when he listens to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, speak about road repairs, insisting that the condition of roads in the Niger Delta does not reflect claims of improvement.
Igali made the remarks in an interview with Africa Independent Television on Thursday, while expressing concern over the poor state of major roads in the region, including the East-West Road and the Benin-Asaba corridor.
The former ambassador said his frequent travels had exposed him to the condition of the roads, arguing that it was difficult for him to reconcile what he saw on the ground with claims that roads had been fixed.
“When I listen to the Minister of Works sometimes, I feel like breaking my television. Because I move around every time. I had to come in from Port Harcourt to be able to have this conversation with you. And the roads are not there,” Igali said.
He specifically criticised the condition of the East-West Road, saying motorists now spend significantly longer periods travelling between communities in the region.
“Even so-called East-West Road is not in order. You can’t go from Sapele to Warri. It used to take us 40, 45 minutes. Today it takes about three hours from Sapele to Benin. One hour now takes about three or four hours,” he said.
Igali also referred to recent protests by residents over the condition of the Asaba-Benin road, saying the demonstrations reflected the frustration of commuters affected by the poor state of the highway.
“And the other day, just last week, we saw people demonstrating that the road from Asaba to Benin is so bad. And people came out demonstrating,” he said.
The former ambassador argued that the poor state of roads in the region was particularly troubling because of the economic contribution of the Niger Delta.
“So the roads, and this is where the money comes from, it is the height of injustice,” Igali said.
He stressed that residents were not demanding preferential treatment but were asking the government to provide equitable infrastructure across the country.
“We are not asking for more than we should have. We are just saying be fair, be equitable, be just, be fair to all such people,” he said.
Igali said Nigerians were increasingly aware of their rights and more willing to participate in political affairs and demand accountability from those in government.
“Our people are watching. Our people are watching,” he said.
“No, people are now wiser. They are reasoning, they are wiser. The political bandwidth is now wider for people to reason and participate.”
His comments came amid renewed attention to the Benin-Asaba Expressway after protests by youths and commuters over severe gridlock on the corridor.
The Federal Government has since moved to address the crisis, with Umahi inspecting the road and blaming the concessionaire for stripping more than 30 kilometres of asphalt without adequate replacement.
The government subsequently began moves to terminate the concession, while President Bola Tinubu ordered the total reconstruction of the affected highway.
