The Federal Government has inaugurated a ₦40 billion closed-circuit television (CCTV) control centre for the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, as part of efforts to strengthen security, curb excessive speeding and prevent suicide attempts on the iconic bridge.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had in 2025 announced the installation of surveillance cameras on the bridge, explaining that the system would enable security agencies to monitor activities in real time and enforce traffic regulations.
Speaking at the inauguration of the control centre on Sunday, Umahi said the current administration inherited major challenges on key bridges in Lagos.
“When we came on board in 2023, we met a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge, both on the pavement, surface, infrastructure above the water and even infrastructure below the water,” he said.
Umahi said President Bola Tinubu ordered a comprehensive reassessment and rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge.
He said, “The President, therefore, directed total re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the surfaces of the Third Mainland Bridge and changing the expansion joints.
“Lagosians were very happy with the President for that beautiful work, and that work completed and commissioned is still succeeding because of the quality.”
The minister commended China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation for the quality of its execution of the project.
Umahi disclosed that the contract also included security equipment to support monitoring of the bridge and its surroundings, which would be handed over to the police.
He said, “We will hand over the surveillance boat and two Hilux vans included in the contract to the police to monitor activities on the bridge.
“If they need to incorporate other security agencies, they can do that, but the idea of this project is that we have a lay-by on the bridge, so we view everything going on on this bridge.”
He also expressed concern over excessive speeding on the bridge and urged motorists to obey traffic rules.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olufemi Dare, described the CCTV control centre as the first of its kind in the country.
“I doubt if there is any bridge in Nigeria that has what we have deployed here today, where you have CCTV to monitor both the underwater and even the bridge itself,” Dare said.
He listed facilities at the centre to include a surveillance boat, two Hilux vans, 240 solar panels, 10 inverters, a 300KVA transformer, a standby generator and multiple monitoring screens.
Dare disclosed that the project was awarded at a cost of ₦40.17 billion, adding that the Federal Government had so far paid ₦36 billion to the contractor.
“We have about 1,268 solar street lights that are part of this contract,” he said, noting that the project also includes a borehole facility.
Umahi added, “This is the first level of commissioning. We are still going to come back here to do even for the extension of the bridge, which is about to be completed.
“We pray that very sooner than later, we will come back to do a full-blown commissioning.”