Nightmare continues for travelers on the Benin-Ore Expressway as the month of August 2026 begins with worse conditions than July. Motorists and passengers are still sleeping overnight on the highway after heavy trucks, deep potholes, and flooding have completely trapped vehicles for hours.
This comes just days after P.M.EXPRESS reported how passengers continue to sleep overnight in Ore, Okada, and Ubulu-Okiti areas due to massive gridlock on the federal highway that links the South-South and the South-West.
Commuters leaving Delta and Edo State say the situation has not improved in the first week of August. The worst-hit sections are:
– Ore Junction: 3km gridlock daily from 6pm to 6am. Tankers and trailers break down and block both lanes
– Okada Axis: Deep craters have forced multiple trailers to break down, causing hours of delays
– Ubulu-Okiti: Only one lane is now passable, causing 4-hour delays for buses and private cars
A commercial bus driver, Mr. Bright Williams, who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS said: “We left Benin by 4pm and got to Ore by 2am. People were sleeping on the road with their children. No water, no light. It is worse than last month”.
Why is it so?
1. Rainfall: Heavy rain has washed away all patched sections done in June
2. Heavy Trucks: Overloaded trailers break down daily and block the road for hours
3. No Maintenance: FRSC officials told P.M.EXPRESS that contractors handling sections of the road have not returned to site since June despite budgetary provisions.
Efforts to get comments from the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, were unsuccessful as at press time.
The Minister of Works had in May 2026 promised that reconstruction of the Benin-Ore-Lagos corridor would be prioritized. However, commuters say no visible work has started on the Ondo and Edo sections of the road.
Alternative Routes For Travelers
If you are traveling from Asaba/Delta to Lagos, FRSC and transport unions advise:
1. Asaba → Agbor → Ijebu-Ode → Lagos- Longer but less traffic and fewer potholes
2. Travel before 12pm – Gridlock usually starts by 3pm daily and peaks at night
FRSC has also advised motorists to carry food, water, fuel, and emergency lights before entering the Ore axis, especially at night.
The story is already trending online. Our last report on the Ore nightmare got thousands of views and shares on WhatsApp and Facebook. Civil society groups and transport unions are now calling on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the Benin-Ore-Lagos highway.
P.M.EXPRESS will continue to monitor and update on the situation. Have you been trapped on Benin-Ore Road this week? Send us your video and location on WhatsApp.