President Tinubu’s Call Against “Unnecessary” Flyovers Clashes with Praise for Edo’s APC Governor Monday Okpebholo’s Projects
On July 30, 2026, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu urged Nigerian state governors to stop constructing flyovers in areas with low traffic volumes and instead prioritise road networks that improve living standards and give security agencies better access to remote communities. He made the remarks while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja (a former governor), at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu highlighted that states now receive four to five times more from the Federation Account than in previous years. “Nobody is borrowing money to pay salaries now. Pensioners are receiving their pay,” he said. “They should do more instead of building flying over where there is no numeric traffic; build roads and artery networks to really enhance the quality of life and the accessibility of the security agencies to penetrate those areas.” He asked the traditional rulers to help convey the message to current governors.
The statement drew attention because of its timing and contrast with earlier federal praise for infrastructure work in Edo State. Governor Monday Okpebholo, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) like Tinubu, has made the construction of two flyovers in Benin City a flagship of his administration—the state’s first such projects. One is the roughly one-kilometre flyover at Ramat Park/Ikpoba Hill (reported near completion or advanced stages in recent updates); the other is at Adesuwa Junction on Sapele Road.
In October 2025, Tinubu (represented by Works Minister Dave Umahi) publicly lauded Okpebholo’s “road infrastructure revolution,” describing the Ikpoba Hill project as a “landmark intervention” that would ease urban traffic and modernise transport in Benin. Umahi noted the quality and pace of the 24-span structure and suggested more such projects should follow to address heavy traffic. Okpebholo has repeatedly credited Tinubu’s support and increased federal allocations for enabling these and other works.
Edo State officials quickly clarified that Tinubu’s latest comments were not directed at Okpebholo. Information Commissioner Kassim Afegbua stated that Edo previously had no flyovers, that the two under construction address genuine heavy traffic (and in one account, flood diversion needs), and that the state is also building many other roads. “We do not fall into the category the President is talking about,” he said.
Online, reactions mixed criticism of perceived inconsistency, defence of prioritising useful infrastructure, and political point-scoring. Many users on X (formerly Twitter) and comment sections interpreted Tinubu’s remarks as aimed at governors building prestige projects with limited utility, frequently citing examples such as a costly flyover in Osun State under Governor Ademola Adeleke (PDP) in an area said to lack significant traffic. Some APC supporters framed it as a call for better spending of higher FAAC allocations. Others noted the irony given Tinubu’s earlier endorsement of Okpebholo’s flyovers and the president’s own administration’s large federal projects.
Critics argued the president was shifting focus onto state-level spending while federal challenges persist, or questioned selective application of the “unnecessary” label. Supporters of the Edo projects emphasised Benin City’s traffic realities and the historical absence of flyovers there. Broader commentary pointed to a pattern in Nigerian politics where visible concrete projects often serve political branding more than rigorous needs assessment, even as increased revenues from reforms (including subsidy removal and other measures) have expanded state budgets.
The episode underscores ongoing debates about fiscal federalism, project prioritisation, and accountability. With states receiving substantially higher monthly allocations, Tinubu’s intervention frames governors as having fewer excuses for underperformance on basic connectivity and security-enabling roads. At the same time, the specific defence of Okpebholo’s work illustrates how party alignment and local context shape interpretations of the same presidential advice. Whether the statement prompts a genuine shift toward more utilitarian infrastructure spending—or remains political rhetoric—will depend on subsequent state actions and public scrutiny.
The Irony of Flyovers Amid Benin City’s Crumbling Roads: Prestige Projects vs. Everyday Reality
While Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration has prioritised two major flyovers in Benin City—the near-complete Ramat Park/Ikpoba Hill structure and the Adesuwa Junction project on Sapele Road—as symbols of modernisation and traffic relief, a stark contrast exists on the ground. These multi-billion-naira elevated bridges rise amid widespread road decay that affects both the elite Government Reservation Area (GRA) and ordinary neighbourhoods across the city. The situation is particularly pointed near the flyovers themselves, where roads around the Nigerian Customs area at Ikpoba Hill remain in severe disrepair.
Exact official contract sums for the Edo flyovers have not been fully and transparently disclosed in public reports, prompting criticism from groups that questioned procurement processes and estimated potential costs in the tens of billions of naira based on comparable projects elsewhere. One civil society analysis compared rates from other states and suggested figures that could reach N30 billion or more for multiple flyovers if certain contractors’ pricing applied, while earlier opposition claims referenced large foreign financing packages that the governor denied. Regardless of the precise figure, these are high-cost, high-visibility projects consuming significant state resources at a time when basic road networks lag.
In the GRA—home to Government House, the deputy governor’s lodge, senior officials, the 4 Brigade military headquarters, high-end residences, and major hotels—roads have long been described as deplorable. During the 2025 rainy season, reports detailed Boundary Road, Ihama Road, Giwa Amu Road, Gapiona Road, Commercial Avenue, Golf Road sections, Aiguobasin Crescent, and Reservation Road leading to Osadebey Avenue turning into waterlogged ponds or becoming nearly impassable due to potholes, collapsed drainage, and flooding. Journeys that once took 20–30 minutes stretched to an hour or more. Residents and motorists publicly lamented vehicle damage and daily hardship in an area meant to showcase the state’s prestige. Government officials acknowledged the problems and promised a “holistic” rather than palliative fix, but as of mid-2025 reporting, the decay remained highly visible. Even parts near the governor’s residence were noted as problematic.
Beyond the GRA, ordinary residents in the rest of Benin City face equally or worse conditions on many intra-city and feeder roads. Failed sections, deep potholes, erosion gullies, and flooding are common complaints. The administration has responded with inspections, orders for contractors to return to sites (including around Upper Mission Extension, Aduwawa, Temboga Road, and Ramat Park axes as recently as early August 2026), equipment distribution to local governments, and some reclamation projects such as a long-lost road in the Iwogban/Erhunmwunse area near Ikpoba Hill. Yet critics and residents continue to highlight that large swathes of the city still suffer from decades of neglect compounded by seasonal rains.
The irony is sharpest around Ikpoba Hill itself. The Ramat Park flyover is intended to ease notorious gridlock at a key gateway linking major expressways. However, adjoining and nearby roads—including those in the vicinity of the Nigerian Customs facilities and alternative routes used during construction—have been reported in poor condition, with deep potholes, erosion, and deterioration worsened by traffic diversions. Residents and motorists have appealed for urgent attention to these feeder streets, noting that construction activity itself damaged some local roads and that a flyover alone cannot resolve broader access problems if vehicles still struggle to reach or leave the elevated structure on broken surfaces. Without concurrent, high-quality rehabilitation of the surrounding network, the new bridge risks becoming an isolated prestige asset rather than a fully functional solution.
This mismatch fuels the broader debate sparked by President Tinubu’s July 2026 remarks urging governors to prioritise useful roads over “unnecessary” flyovers in low-traffic areas. In Edo’s case, the state government insists the Benin projects address genuine congestion and that other road works are underway. Opposition voices (including earlier PDP commentary) have argued that fixing GRA and core city roads would deliver more immediate economic and practical value. The reality on the ground—elite areas with flooded, potholed streets, ordinary neighbourhoods enduring daily hardship, and critical corridors near new flyovers still failing—underscores a classic Nigerian infrastructure tension: the allure of landmark concrete versus the harder, less glamorous work of comprehensive, durable road networks that serve everyone, every day.
Until the adjoining roads at Ikpoba Hill, the GRA’s chronic flooding and decay, and the wider Benin network receive sustained, quality attention matching the ambition of the flyovers, the elevated bridges will remain potent symbols of both progress and unresolved priorities.
HOSTIFI CHEAP HOSTING