Benin — Revenue of transport companies operating on the Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway has reduced by at least 50 per cent on account of the bad road.

Meanwhile, former chief whip in the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie, who is the promoter of Benin-based Loyal Link Transport Company said it was a shame that government allowed the road to degenerate to this level.

Manager of the Benin-based Ohonba Line Transport Company, Mr. Ben Ekomwenrenren, told Vanguard in an interview: "We are losing as much as 50 per cent of our revenue since the road became very bad. Really, it affects our business.

"Our vehicles taking off from Benin are supposed to go to Lagos and come back same day but they spend two days from Benin to Lagos and you know what that means to our revenue," he said.

He lamented that most of the company's vehicles had gone bad as result of the bad road, saying recently, the company lost one of its buses to an accident.

"Many people died in that accident. Before, 20 to 25 buses used to go to Lagos daily, but now, if 10 vehicles go to Lagos, we take it to be a feat," he said.

At Goddy Edosa (GEM) Motors in Benin on Saturday, Vanguard observed that as at 5.00 p.m., the company's gates were already locked because travellers no longer make evening or night journeys from Benin to Lagos because of the bad roads.

"Nobody wants to sleep on the bad road and so, once it is noon, you no longer see passengers. They would prefer not to travel to Lagos. Those who travel now come in the morning and once it is afternoon, there is lull in the business," a driver with one of the transport companies said.

It is a shame, says Owie

Senator Roland Owie said it was a shame that President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Federal Government allowed the road to degenerate to its present horrible state before even thinking of releasing money for its repairs.

"What's happening in the transport industry is a shame. I want to specifically thank the Vanguard newspapers for what they have done for Niger-Delta and what they have done to bring the attention of the Federal Government that has failed this nation even to the source of where they make 95 per cent of the revenue of this nation. It is shocking that the Federal Government will open its eyes and allow the Lagos-Ore-Benin road, the only link road between the South-West, South-South and South-East to go that bad.

"And they are the people reaping the benefits from the Niger-Delta, it is very sad. What is happening to the transport industry is terrible. Any day our vehicle passes through that road, the following day, it is in the mechanic workshop.

"We thank God that ours have not been involved in accidents. He does His work in marvelous ways. But the truth is that it is painful that vehicles go between Ore and Benin and straight to the workshop and yet we pay taxes to the Federal Government and various rates to the state and local governments.

"Obasanjo has failed. Apart from the lives of Nigerians that have been lost on that terrible road, it shows that the Federal Government has failed and the nation, Nigeria is now a failed nation. When this government came in 1999, a lot was expected from it but President Olusegun Obasanjo is on an ego trip now.

"But even if you go through the Lagos-Abeokuta road where he comes from, you will find out that it is hell. Nothing is happening. This same Benin --Ore road, his former Minister of Works told us in 2002 when I was in the Senate that he spent N24 billion on it, I asked which contractor was this N24 billion paid to. In 2003, the same former minister announced that a contract for the Benin-Ore road, including what we call Tom Line River in Benin City had been awarded. Today, it is all history. All the billions that were voted for the Federal Ministry of Works, Obasanjo has not asked his man, the chairman of the EFCC, Ribadu to go and find out because the former head of that ministry believes in him and third term, which have all failed.

"As I said, we are only asking God to protect this nation, if not, Nigeria is already a failed nation under this government and you know it as the christians say, when the righteous are in government, the people rejoice. The fact that nobody is rejoicing shows that those who are there, I am not judging them, they should know which name they should be called.

"Where were they before now? Were they sleeping, were they out of this country? Because Obasanjo has helicopter and doesn't know what is happening to people on the ground, who are they hoodwinking with the release of N5 billion, the thing will go through the process.

"All you hear from them is down size, no upsize; all you hear from them is privatization to the extent of now privatizing Unity Secondary schools.

"There is nothing like Christmas rush for transporters. For the Christmas rush, he said the Royal Link Transport Company was not expectant, adding: "A journey from Lagos to Port Harcourt used to be seven and half hours but it now takes one and half days. They leave Lagos in the morning and get to Benin at about 5.00 p.m.

"Usually, our vehicles don't travel at night. By 6.00 pm, wherever, they get to, they park but now, they sleep in Warri and go to Port-Harcourt the following day. So a journey of seven and half hours is now done in three days. What expectation do you have in such a situation? The economy of the transport companies is gone.

"What you would have expected in December, the so-called Christmas rush is not expected any longer," he said.