The minister of works, David Umahi, has said there is danger on some of the bridges in Lagos, calling for quick intervention from the National Assembly in terms of legislating on the needed funding.
The minister stressed that early release of funds for the repair and rehabilitation of the bridges will help to avert an imminent danger, disclosing that N341billion has been proposed to attend to the bridges in 2025 which might not be enough considering the level of damage on the bridges.
The minister, who spoke while briefing National Assembly members on inspection tour of bridges in Lagos, disclosed that the affected bridges were the Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge and Eko Bridge which are also known as First and Second Mainland Bridges respectively.
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“We have proposed that N341 billion will be needed in 2025 to attend to our bridges. We don’t know how much this is going to cost. If we are to rebuild these Bridges, even N30 trillion will not do it. So a stitch in time saves nine. This is very important,” Umahi said.
“And let me report that Julius Berger had been doing very beautiful work until they encountered this situation. So, we are putting heads together with them. We are also consulting internationally to see what the solution will be.
“But it’s important that the National Assembly bears in mind that we have problems. You know, there are no problems that cannot be surmounted. But problems should not be overlooked,” he cautioned.
Responding, the National Assembly representatives called on all stakeholders to declare a state of emergency on all the roads in Nigeria to avert danger, assuring that they would call for urgent public engagement for the declaration of state of emergency on Nigerian roads.
They lamented lack of maintenance plan after rehabilitation, stressing that the bridges have remained in bad condition 56 years after construction because there is no maintenance plan for them.
They, however, commended the minister for the work he is doing, noting that his actions towards the bridges will save Nigeria from infrastructure collapse. They called for “condition survey budget” on all the bridges to ensure steady maintenance and avoid damage.
Meanwhile, the minister commended the commitment of President Bola Tinubu who, he said, has been of continuous support in maintaining the country’s infrastructure projects.
He called for urgent intervention on these bridges, emphasising that it is a case of emergency. He directed his ministry’s information unit to produce a full documentary of the state of the facilities to be presented to the president and the National Assembly for urgent action.
The engineers in charge of the maintenance and repair of the bridges also showcased some maintenance and repair strategies which they have put in place to ensure safety on the bridges including installation of temporary built-up steel support, reconstructing capping beam, casting of guard wall, installation of steel cages, and other solutions.
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