Barely three years after it was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari at a cost of N38 billion, the Nasarawa-Oweto-Otukpo Federal Road in Benue State suffered extensive structural failure. Large sections of the road became impassable, with asphalt peeled off, shoulders caved in, and erosion carving deep channels across the carriageway.
The road, designed as a strategic alternative corridor to reduce travel time and boost trade, lay abandoned and severely damaged. In some areas, motorists diverted into nearby bushes to bypass collapsed portions, while other stretches were completely impassable. Several culverts were found either exposed or damaged, raising concerns about drainage design.
Investigations showed the collapse coincided with a sharp decline in traffic caused by worsening insecurity along the corridor. Heavy articulated vehicles that used the road after its commissioning accelerated deterioration, as the absence of functional weighbridges allowed overloaded vehicles to operate unchecked. Infrastructure experts raised concerns about possible design flaws, substandard materials, and weak supervision.