Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo has suspended three heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) for negligence and dereliction of duty.
Chris Nehikhare, the commissioner for communication and orientation, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the weekly executive council meeting chaired by the governor on Wednesday in Government House in Benin.
“The Edo state government has suspended three heads of service of local government areas, namely Owan West, Owan East and Igueben. They have refused to keep to the directive of the government instructing them not to allow heavy-duty vehicles to pass through their areas, despite the damage done to our roads,” the commissioner stated.
The commissioner explained that the local government heads “were suspended for failing on their duties of protecting the government’s infrastructural assets.”
Nehikhare added, “To protect our roads, we have placed a ban on articulated vehicles weighing up to 30 tonnes from plying state roads, as the roads are not designed to carry vehicles weighing over 30 tonnes.”
According to him, heavy-duty vehicles are used “to destroy and damage our roads,” especially those carrying cement, petrol, and diesel, pointing out that “our roads are not designed for such purposes.”
“These heavy-duty vehicles should use the Federal Government roads designed for such purposes. Our roads are destroyed by travellers who don’t contribute to the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state but pass through these roads and damage our infrastructure,” the Edo commissioner stressed. “The federal roads are there, and they should continue to use them. We call on all appointees in these areas to stop these vehicles destroying our roads.”