The Presidency has blamed the deplorable condition of the Benin-Asaba Expressway on the failure of the contractor to act professionally.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday while reacting to the condition of the highway.

Dare said that while the road has been a difficult one that had transcended about three or four presidents, whatever palliative works the contractor carried out on the road were not professionally done.

He, however, said the incident should be treated as an isolated case and not be used to assess the state of road projects across the country.

The President’s aide spoke amid several complaints by motorists and commuters on the poor state of the road.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the Benin-Agbor-Asaba road in Edo State, where he also apologised to commuters over its current state.

The traffic gridlock along the Benin-Agbor Road has continued for days, leaving motorists, commuters and residents stranded for hours as the situation worsens.

The prolonged gridlock, which is being attributed to the deteriorated condition of the road and failed portions along the route, is disrupting commercial activities and making daily commuting increasingly difficult.

According to reports, motorists have continued to express frustration over the hours spent in traffic, saying the situation is taking a toll on their businesses, vehicles and daily activities.

One of the drivers lamented that the road has suffered years of neglect under successive governments, saying repeated calls for intervention have not produced a lasting solution.

He said the poor condition of the road, combined with the heavy volume of vehicles using the route, has made movement particularly difficult, with some motorists spending several hours on journeys that would ordinarily take a fraction of that time.

Residents along the route are also expressing concern over the impact of the gridlock, as the congestion is affecting the movement of people and goods and disrupting commercial activities in communities along the corridor.

The Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Youth Association, Kingsley Osenmwingiewho, joined the call for urgent intervention, appealing to the Federal government to expedite repairs of the failed portions of the Benin-Asaba Road.

Osenmwingiewho particularly called for immediate attention to the Benin-Agbor Road bypass axis, where the condition of the road has become a major source of concern to motorists and residents.

He said rehabilitating the failed sections will not only ease the present gridlock but also improve the movement of people, goods and services along the busy Benin-Asaba corridor.

For motorists and residents who have continued to endure the daily traffic nightmare, the appeal is for authorities to move beyond temporary measures and begin urgent, lasting repairs of the road.

As the gridlock persists, road users are hoping that government intervention will come soon to restore normal traffic flow and relieve the pressure on commuters who have been stranded for hours.

The Council of Legal Education (CLE), on Monday, announced that five law students have been barred from sitting for the Bar Final Examination for 10 years over examination malpractice.

The council made this decision during its third-quarter meeting at the Nigerian Law School headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.

In a statement on Sunday, Aderonke Osho, the council’s secretary and director of administration, said the meeting reviewed and approved reports from the examination misconduct committee about cases from the December 2025 Bar Final Examination.

“Following consideration of the reports, the Council approved the disqualification of five (5) candidates found guilty of examination misconduct and barred them from sitting the Bar Final Examination for a period of ten (10) years,” the statement said.

The council also approved penalties for two students found guilty of indiscipline-related misconduct.

However, CLE did not share the names of the students involved or the universities they attended.

Osho also said the meeting discussed policies, regulations, academic issues, and administrative matters related to legal education and running the law school.

In April, the council reported that about 1,067 out of 7,602 candidates failed the 2025 Bar Final Examination.

The results showed 212 candidates earned first-class honours, and 1,216 received second-class upper.

In addition, 2,961 candidates graduated with second-class lower honours, 1,622 passed, and 314 received conditional passes.

A total of 210 candidates did not attend the exam. The council reported an overall pass rate of 79.1 percent, which is lower than last year.

At the same time, 983 candidates failed the 2026 bar final resit. This accounts for 50.3 per cent of the 1,955 candidates who took the exam.

According to the council, only 883 candidates passed the examination held in May, for an overall pass rate of 45.3 per cent, while 54.7 per cent did not attain the prescribed pass mark.

The bar final is the qualifying exam administered by the Nigerian Law School for law graduates who have completed the required vocational training. It is usually held once a year and is necessary for those who want to become legal practitioners in Nigeria.