Shall we miss Comrade Oshiomhole?

Anthony Omoregie grew up on Sapele Road in Benin City. His parents had lived there before he was born and Anthony had known no other place of abode before he travelled to Zaria 20 years ago in search of greener pastures. Since he left Benin, he had not visited often. He last visited in April 2008 during the Easter celebration. He had become home-sick, and decided to make the journey home this time. Last week, Anthony again arrived in Benin City by commercial bus late in the evening, to be confronted with so much that left him bewildered. He arrived at a time that the ubiquitous okada operators were off the streets and he wondered what had happened in Benin City. He had asked to be dropped off at the Ramat Park terminus convinced that the easiest means of getting home would be by okada. He found none as the operators had taken heed of a government ban on their activities in the city. Anthony was, however not stranded, as he was soon able to get a taxi, an Audi 80 unpainted cab, to take him to his Sapele Road residence. Anthony was again to be confounded when the taxi driver connected Sapele Road from Second East Circular Street. Having stopped at the Sapele Road junction, he was unable to tell the direction to his house, and had to seek assistance to locate his home. Everywhere he turned, fundamental changes had taken place. He beheld a six-lane highway reconstructed with streetlights, walkways and covered drains and concrete median. What Anthony experienced arriving in Benin has happened to several others in some parts of the city and elsewhere in Edo State? At inception of the present administration, Sapele Road was one of the busiest but poorly maintained roads. It is the only link road between the states of the south-south zone and the western part of the country. However, it remained a single-lane highway. Major landmarks on this road include the State Secretariat complex; Police Headquarters; Palm House which serves as annex to the State Secretariat; Central Hospital Complex; High Court complex; Nigeria Prison Service as well as several banks, hotels and educational institutions. Traffic congestion, was therefore, major hallmarks of Sapele Road. Today, the road is one of the beautiful in Benin City. The Adams Oshiomhole administration, like it has done, and is doing, in several other towns and villages, awarded the contract for its expansion to a very competent construction company to reconstruct to six lanes, build covered drains, construct walkways and provide concrete median and fix street lights. The latest digital traffic lights have been installed for traffic at the Central Hospital/High Court/Prisons crossing. For the first time, there are now installed modern traffic light facilities which tell motorists how much time they have to wait before being passed to move on. The road markings are also a new innovation. What happened to Sapele Road has also been done to Akpakpava Street. With three lanes on either side, covered drains, walkways and street lights, one now knows from the Agbor Road entry point at night that one is in a capital city. Other roads which have been reconstructed and are giving a befitting look to Benin City include Oba Market road, Siluko road, Constain Isornorho now renamed Gani Fawehimi Layout, Sokpomba road,  2nd West Circular road, Upper Lawani and adjoining streets, Mission Road, Forestry Street, Upper Mission Extension and 2nd East Circular. The Five-Junction area now has thirteen streets completed to the Oshiomhole standard.  Several other road projects,including Ugbiyokho Road, are at different stages of completion. As the Oshiomhole administration winds down, the people are jubilant and hopeful that more will  be achieved by the in-coming government of Godwin Obaseki. Anthony Omoregie expressed joy at seeing a “new” Sapele road. Our people never knew government could do this’, he said. According to him, ‘Oshiomhole has transformed the state at a fast pace and I think Godwin Obaseki will consolidate on the present achievement’.    A school teacher resident on Sapele Road, Esther Isibor, is full of praises for the work Oshiomhole has done, particularly in road construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and upgrading. “Adams Oshiomhole has shown that government can do a lot of work by way of provision of social amenities. All we can do to encourage him is to protect the facilities provided for our comfort like the several school buildings he has reconstructed and renovated. Our children and their teachers now enjoy conducive atmosphere for learning and teaching”, she said.
Another resident, Paul Igbinovia, said he was happy that the Oshiomhole administration has laid a solid foundation for the development of the state. He is a good leader who deserves the support of all Edo people. Our state and all of us will surely miss him’’.

Nasamu Jacobson writes from Benin