Poor State of Federal Roads in Edo: APC’s Isolation War Against Edo People
By Eghe Osazuwa
Isolation as a strategy in warfare is the age long strategy of cutting off an enemy from essential resources, support, and communication to weaken their ability to sustain operations.
It is an open secret that Edo State has a unique geographical position that makes it central to transportation across the Country.
Edo State borders Kogi State to the north for 133 km and across the Niger River for 81 km to the northeast, Anambra State to the east for about four km across the Niger River, Delta State to the southeast and south for 350 km (218 miles), and Ondo State to the west.
With Nigeria’s very limited railway network, roads remain the most widely used means of transportation.
This will of course mean that the roads linking Edo State to other parts of the Country are of strategic economic importance to the state as a veritable logistics centre for the Country.
However, Federal Roads linking Edo State to other parts of the Country have been deliberately neglected by the Federal Government for so long that most of them are nearing total collapse.
Surely, it cannot be a matter of coincidence that nearly all the connecting Federal Roads leading to Edo State are in the present state of disrepair that they are in. The Benin-Agbor-Asaba road is in a terrible condition. The same can be said for the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi road leading to Kogi State through to Abuja and the rest of the North is in a similarly deplorable condition.
The condition of the Benin-Sapele road especially the Ologbo axis which had practically collapsed completely makes the road share parallels with the biblical “valley of the shadow of death”.
The only road leading out of Edo State that is in motorable condition is the Benin-Ore road which dates back to the Goodluck Jonathan led PDP administration.
The neglect of Federal roads in the State is part of a deliberate strategy by APC to isolate Edo people and frustrate them into submission.
Anyone who knows the history of the Edo people will recall the brave resistance that they put up against European incursion into the ancient Kingdom.
With the Edo State Governorship Elections around the corner, the APC-led Federal Government has started some emergency work on some of the roads in a desperate bid to sway Edo people to vote for their Party. This last minute intervention is too little too late as Edo people know better.
Isolation as a warfare strategy is intended to weaken the enemy incrementally, forcing them into a position where they can no longer sustain effective resistance, often leading to surrender without a direct confrontation.
Edo people will not give in to the isolation strategy of the APC led Federal Government.
