From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
THERE are indications that succour is yet to come the way of commuters plying the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha expressway, as they will continue to endure the nightmarish experience at a failed portion of the road on the Asaba axis.
This was due to the seeming conflict between the Federal Government and the Delta State Government over who had the right to fix the deplorable portion stretching over a long distance just before the River Niger Bridge.
Last month, Direct Labour Agency (DLA) of the state had mobilised to mend the road, but Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who stopped over during an inspection of the Second Niger Bridge project halted the intervention.
Another attempt by the state government to fix the failed portion was again futile as officials of Julius Berger Construction Company were said to have brandished contract documents, indicating that the Federal Government had already awarded the job to them.
Officials of the construction giants allegedly insisted that the Delta State Government could not work on the road as the state had no valid contract to do such.
Reacting, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah described the conflict over who had the legitimate right to fix the road as unfortunate.
He expressed surprise that some officials of Federal Government does not want the state government to fix the bad spot, stressing that road users were crying because the road was a major gateway to the South-East.
According to him, the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration, since inception had not discriminated in the provision of infrastructure in any part of the state, especially in the area of fixing of roads.