THE tragedy of public discourse in Nigeria is our collective propensity for convenient amnesia. Too often, political actors and urban-based commentators develop selective memories, choosing to gloss over years of systematic infrastructural neglect while demanding instant miracles from a nascent administration.
This syndrome is currently on full display as armchair critics attempt to weaponize infrastructural challenges against the administration of Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
One cannot easily forget the political theatre of the immediate past administration under former Governor Godwin Obaseki. For years, motorists and residents navigating the state were greeted by familiar, frustrating signposts planted at every strategic corner bearing the monotonous inscription: “Bear With Us, This Is Federal.”
That excuse was recycled electioneering season after electioneering season—conveniently deployed even after the state received substantial financial interventions, including over twelve billion Naira as a federal refund for roads reconstructed by the former administration of Adams Oshiomhole.
Yet, despite the endless passing of the buck, the electorate repeatedly kept faith with the ruling party of the day, only to inherit decayed arteries and broken promises.
Fast forward to the present: Governor Monday
Okpebholo stepped into office with a clear mandate to alter this trajectory of excuses, choosing tangible execution over empty posturing. To accuse an administration that has spent less than three years in office of neglecting critical infrastructure is not only disingenuous; it is a display of absolute political malice.
*Confronting the Reality of Federal Arteries*
Critics sitting comfortably in their urban enclaves love to target major regional economic corridors—such as the Lagos-Benin, Benin-Auchi, Warri-Sapele, Agbor-Asaba, and Benin-Ifon routes—falsely painting them as localized abandonment. Any objective observer with even a rudimentary understanding of Nigerian public administration knows that these critical pathways are federal trunk roads.
Rather than hiding behind jurisdictional boundaries or hiding behind passive signposts, Governor Okpebholo’s administration has taken the bull by the horns. Through proactive engagement and robust bilateral frameworks, these vital federal arteries have been awarded to competent contractors for comprehensive reconstruction.
While torrential seasonal downpours have inevitably slowed down active surfacing work—forcing construction giants to focus heavily on foundational drainage systems to prevent future erosion—the groundwork for a modern, interconnected Edo is well underway.
*A Legacy of Action: Surpassing Past Benchmarks*
What stings the opposition most is the sheer volume of infrastructural ground Governor Okpebholo has covered in record time—surpassing in mere months what some predecessors struggled to achieve across a full legislative tenure.
Beyond the major bypasses, the administration’s footprint is visible across all three senatorial districts. From the strategic flyover at Ramat Park along the Benin-Agbor corridor to the immediate remediation and restoration of the long-abandoned Benin-Irrua road, the evidence is undeniable.
Urban renewal projects and vital inner-city linkages—including the 12.6-kilometer Temboga–Ekiuwa–University of Benin Road extension, Oba Irediauwa Road, Ogheghe Road off Sapele Road, Charismatic Renewal Road off Ekenhuan Road, and the massive Ekpoma–Irrua–Udomi–Ubiaja dualization projects—are fundamentally reshaping commerce and mobility.
Furthermore, by decentralizing development and equipping local government councils with heavy machinery for continuous grassroots road grading and maintenance, the Okpebholo administration has institutionalized a permanent maintenance culture rather than reacting only when roads disintegrate completely.
History is built by pragmatic doers, not by cynical critics lounging in political echo chambers. Governor Monday Okpebholo is taking the bullets of transition head-on because true leadership requires absorbing temporary friction to deliver permanent progress.
As the rains eventually recede and the ongoing multi-layered infrastructural projects reach full completion, Edo State will stand tall as a testament to what disciplined, people-oriented governance can achieve when noise gives way to substance.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com