- The convoy of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki was reportedly stuck in the mud on the Benin-Sapele road in Benin City
- Residents of the area have staged several peaceful protests to plead with the state and federal governments to fix the road, but to no avail
- Governor Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said the governor made spirited efforts to fix the road
The convoy of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki was reportedly stuck in the mud on the Benin-Sapele road in Benin City over the weekend due to poor road conditions exacerbated by heavy rain.
The convoy is seen stuck in the middle of articulated trucks and other vehicles at the RCC section of the road in a viral video that lasts 1 minute and 11 seconds.
A voice in the video is heard saying;
This is the governor’s convoy. Everybody dey collect for Nigeria: both the poor and the rich. Na governor dey inside. Governor of Edo State dey inside water. Dem think say dem dey do us; dem no no say who throw stone for market na im mama e go meet.
Residents of the area were said to have staged several peaceful protests by closing the road to motorists and other road users, pleading with the state and federal governments to fix it, but to no avail.
A resident described the development as a good omen because the governor felt the pain that ordinary people faced on a daily basis as a result of governments’ neglect of the road.
The incident occurred after Governor Obaseki stated that the state government could not repair sections of the Benin-Auchi-Ekpoma, Benin-Sapele, and other federal roads in the state.
Meanwhile, an APC chieftain, John Mayaki, said Gov. Obaseki was caught in the collapse of infrastructure, which he refused to address 48 hours after criticising the federal government’s policies as “confusing” and impeding the repair of federal roads in the state.
Responding, Gov Obaseki’s Special Adviser (SA) on Media Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said;
Obaseki made spirited efforts to fix these roads; approaching the federal government for permission to carry out palliative repairs on them, but the efforts were rebuffed because the APC-led federal government insisted that the contract to fix the roads had been awarded.