By Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
The Civil Society Group, The Common Good, has said in a letter that President Bola Tinubu’s call for urgent intervention on the Benin-Asaba Road is a positive step, but it does not address the core accountability questions regarding the 25-year concession agreement.
In a policy memo titled “Benin–Asaba Road Concession: Why the President’s Intervention Does Not Yet Answer the Public Accountability Question,” made available to the media in Kaduna, today, Wednesday August 26, the publisher, Rev. David Ugolor, said that Nigerians still need transparency about the full terms of the deal, how public funds have been used, and who is responsible for the road’s worsening condition.
Ugolor said that while urgent repairs are necessary to ease road users’ suffering, the intervention alone cannot resolve issues related to contract transparency, financing, regulation, or the reported removal of the current road surface.
“The President’s directive for urgent action is a positive step. However, it does not answer the fundamental accountability questions surrounding the concession,” the memo stated.
It detailed several unresolved questions, including access to the complete, signed concession agreement and its schedules, details of the financing structure, the relationship between the reported ₦87.26 billion commercial close value, the ₦228 billion equity package, and the projected ₦1.58 trillion revenue, along with information about the concessionaire’s shareholders and beneficial owners.
Also, it questioned who authorized the removal of asphalt sections, what happened to the removed materials, and whether the required performance bonds, bank guarantees, and insurance policies are valid and enforceable.
Ugolor also raised concerns about the role of regulatory agencies and the scope of government responsibility under the Highway Development and Management Initiative, emphasizing that a concession does not exempt public authorities from enforcing contracts or protecting citizens.
To close these gaps, The Common Good Letter recommended public disclosure of the concession contract, business case, toll model, and risk documents. It also urged an independent technical and financial audit, a public hearing with road users, transporters, engineers, and civil society groups, and a definitive government decision regarding the future of the concession.
The group called on the Federal Ministry of Works, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and the Edo State Government to address these issues and provide monthly updates on progress, spending, and safety measures.
“Transparency must accompany intervention. Nigerians need to see the contract, understand the money, and know who is responsible. Emergency repairs should not be used to shield the concession from public scrutiny,” Ugolor said.
He added that journalists and civil society should be allowed to question all involved parties, including the concessionaire, financiers, and government agencies, to maintain openness and accountability.
The Common Good Letter announced it will submit Freedom of Information requests to relevant authorities and release a preliminary transparency scorecard for the project within 14 days.
