The Edo House of Assembly, on Monday, advanced a bill to establish the Edo Rural Access Roads Authority to Second Reading.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bill formed part of the efforts to strengthen the development and maintenance of rural roads across the state.
It particularly seeks to repeal the Edo Rural Access Road Agency Law, 2025 and replace it with a new law, empowering the proposed authority to handle the reconstruction and maintenance of Class C and D roads.
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Leading the debate during the plenary session in Benin, the Majority Leader, Sunday Ojezele, said the existing agency, in spite of being established in 2025, had not delivered effectively on its mandate, hence the need for a stronger legal framework.
Contributing to the debate, Kingsley Ugabi (Etsako East), said the initiative would reduce the difficulties farmers encounter in conveying their produce to major towns, while improving access to government services in underserved communities.
Maria Edeko (Esan North-East II) also supported the bill, describing rural roads as an essential part of the state’s transport infrastructure and a major factor in improving the welfare of rural dwellers.
On his part, Eric Okaka (Owan East) also expressed support for the bill and called for its prompt consideration.
The Speaker, Yekini Idaiye, thereafter, referred the bill to the House Committee on Environment and Sustainability for further legislative work.
In another development, the House received 30 copies of the Edo City Transport Services Bill, which seeks to replace the existing municipal transport law of 1993 with a new legal structure for managing city transport services in the state.
The bill was read for the first time.
Also, consideration of a bill for the establishment of the Edo State Agency for Education Quality and Accountability, intended to strengthen monitoring, quality assurance and standards across the education sector, was deferred to another legislative day.
In a remark, the Deputy Speaker, Atu Osamwonyi, commended the State Government for the ongoing road rehabilitation in the Government Reserved Area of Benin City.
Osamwonyi recalled visiting the project site on October 19, alongside the APC State Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, where they reportedly met contractors working at about 2 a.m.
He described the level of activity at the site as commendable and praised Gov. Monday Okpebholo for the intervention, particularly in addressing road infrastructure challenges in the area.
The House adjourned sitting to Tuesday, November 10.
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