“The President Watched The Agony Of Lagosians” – Umahi Gives Update On Lagos Independence Bridge

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed displeasure over the heavy traffic gridlock Lagosians experienced following the closure of the Independence Bridge.

Umahi disclosed that President Bola Tinubu is pained by the frustrating experiences Lagosians had to go through as a result of the closure of the bridge for maintenance and rehabilitation works.

The Minister added that though the rehabilitation of the bridge was necessary and designed, he wasn’t carried along when the Lagos Federal Controller of Works, Olukorede Kesha, eventually ordered the closure of the bridge.

Naijaonpoint reports the closure resulted in long hours of gridlock, with commuters and motorists stranded on Wednesday in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.

In the aftermath of the public outcry that trailed the gridlock, Umahi ordered the immediate reopening of the bridge.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also visited the site on Thursday and apologized to Lagosians.

Umahi, who also visited the scene later on Thursday, said the controller decided to shut the bridge independently, adding that President Tinubu ordered him to visit the bridge and find an immediate solution to the crisis.

He acknowledged that the closure and repairs could have been better managed.

The Minister also assured that the bridge would be reopened by 3pm on Friday and the repair works would be completed at a later date.

“I am here as directed by Mr. President. The president watched the agony that Lagosians went through yesterday (Wednesday) for the reason of closing the Independence Bridge for rehabilitation.

“I am very displeased, even though the subject matter — the rehabilitation of the already collapsed returned wall of the Independence Bridge — is very important.

“He (Tinubu) has asked me to be in Lagos and to free the traffic. I have looked at the structural problem; I am aware of it.

“We designed the rehabilitation; however, unfortunately, when the bridge was closed, I was not informed. The controller made that decision on her own, which is very unfortunate.

“In a place like Lagos, it has always been the tradition that I, as the minister, should be informed before such closures.

“We should have also studied the implications of shutting down the bridge.

“Even though this was an emergency, we could have conducted an urgent evaluation of the potential impact before closing the bridge,” the Minister said.

Based on the development, Umahi warned all controllers and engineers that no road or bridge should be closed without first obtaining approval from the relevant authorities, adding that failure to adhere to the directives would attract disciplinary measures.