Okpebholo: The Yellow Iron Has Arrived, Where Is The System?

The news hit the streets of Benin City like a harmat­tan wind – exciting and full of promise: brand new construction equipment, parked and ready. For anyone who has spent years watching contracts stall and projects drag, seeing that fleet of graders, roll­ers, and excavators was a genu­inely uplifting sight. It felt like a statement: Edo State is taking its destiny into its own hands.

But as a project manager who cut my teeth on architectural systems, I also felt a pang of familiar worry because in our part of the world, the hard part isn’t buying the machine. The hard part is keeping it working, keeping it fair, and making sure it serves the 18 Local Government Ar­eas without getting tangled in the usual web of protocol and politics.

Governor Okpebholo has given us the hardware. The question now is: who is building the software? Who is designing the system that ensures this equipment doesn’t be­come a very expensive art installa­tion at the government depot?

The First Risk: The Graveyard of Good Intentions

We have all seen it. A brand new grader deployed to an LGA, works for one dry season, then breaks down. Because the part is “in Be­nin,” and the release memo is “with the Chairman’s secretary,” and the operator has been transferred. Six months later, the machine is a rusty throne for lizards.

To avoid this, we need to think like architects, not just administra­tors. We need a system built for the reality of our terrain.

‘Who is Doing What’ Dashboard?

We cannot run 21st-century in­frastructure with a paper ledger. The State Government should set up a simple, public digital board; nothing fancy. Just clear informa­tion: Which LGA requested a road? When is the equipment scheduled to arrive? Has the work been verified?

When a community in Igueben can see that the grader is finishing up in Uromi and is due for them next Tuesday, it kills the rumor mill. It stops the “my chairman is sleeping” complaints. Data becomes the new politics.

The ‘Spanner and Hammer’ Maintenance Plan

These machines are complex. They will break. It is inevitable. The only question is whether we have a plan for when they do.

We need a simple, three-tier sys­tem: a central workshop in Benin for major surgery; zonal workshops in each Senatorial District for quick fixes; and, most importantly, a man­datory, transparent contribution from every LGA that uses the equip­ment into a dedicated maintenance fund. If each council puts in a little, we ensure that when a gearbox fails in three years, the money to fix it is already there, waiting. No begging. No delays.

Trust the Man on the Ground (But Verify)

We have capable technical offi­cers in our LGAs. They know the roads. They know the terrain. They know when a job is done properly and when it is “maga don pay.” Let us empower them.

Give them a simple reporting tool—even a dedicated WhatsApp line with a clear format—to sign off on completed work. When the local government engineer says the drainage channel in Etsako Central is cleared to specification, the state should accept that as truth, subject to random spot checks. This builds respect and accountability both ways.

Governor, the people of Edo State are not just asking for roads. They are asking for a new way of governance. They want to see that this government is dif­ferent—that it can not only pro­cure equipment but also manage it with the kind of transparent, no-nonsense efficiency that the private sector demands.

This fleet of yellow iron is a gold­en opportunity. Let’s build the sys­tem that keeps it moving, keeps it fair, and keeps it working for every corner of Edo State. The foundation is laid. Now, let’s do the work.

*Arc. Sawyerr, a project manager and business strategist, writes from Lagos via [email protected]

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