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Contrary to the belief that those who would travel to the eastern part of the country for Christmas would have a smooth journey, the controversial Benin-Ore road is still a no go area. Travellers who had passed through the road recently are complaining that the road is now worse than it was some months ago.

According to them, it takes nothing fewer than six hours to drive from Benin City to Ore Stephen Ojevia who came from Benin to Lagos last week lamented that he left Benin City on Tuesday afternoon and got to Lagos Wednesday morning.

According to him, at Okada Town, there is a very big gully where motorists spend more than six hours before they can drive out of it. His words: “Travellers to the eastern part of the country for Christmas will not have easy journey. As I am talking to you now, I arrived Lagos this morning from Benin since yesterday afternoon because of the state of the Benin-Ore road, I have to sleep on the road.

The Benin –Ore road he said is now worse than it was before. If you get to Okada town, there is one big gully that stalls the free flow of traffic The gully is so deep that trailers break down in its bowel and once that happens vehiclar movement stops until it is pulled out.”
Another traveller, Chike Nwaubanim, said that he spent 10 hours between Benin and Ore owing to the bad state of the road.

According to him, based on the state of the road, he had foreclosed travelling to his town with his wife and children for the Christmas celebration.
“My brother, I cannot wish what I saw along Benin-Ore road even for my worst enemy. Can you believe that I spent 12 good hours on the road? This is a distance that should not be more than 30 minutes if the road is good. So, for my wife, children and I it is good-bye to spending the Christmas in the East.

Even if I am drunk to the state of stupor, I will not allow my wife and children to experience the hardship of that road. Even going by air to Owerri or Enugu is also out of it because I heard that moneybags have bought all the tickets of the airlines that are going to the two airports in anticipation of big patronage during the festive periods since the roads are no longer motorable.

Even as I am talking with you now, you cannot get ticket to any of the airports bought from any airline. Those who bought them are now retailing them at N26, 000 instead of the normal N15, 000.”
It would be recalled that the Minister of Transport, Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke, had on assumption of office visited the road and gave an order for its immmediate rehabilitation, a situation which gave hope to travellers to the Easter and South-south parts of the country. Now, the road has become worse than it was before the minister visited it, thereby diminishing the hope of those who want to travel for Christmas.