The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said that the Federal Government has made plans to ensure that Closed-Circuit Television (CCTVs) are installed on all federal highways across Nigeria.
Umahi also commended President Bola Tinubu for his interest and committment towards ending the menace on the roads in the Southeast region, due to several challenges in the past.
He said the president has broken the jinx of failed road contracts across the region.
Speaking during the weekend while unveiling tougher engineering standards, strict deadlines and new technology to secure highways across the region, the Minister said the contractors have been doing a great job on the Enugu-Onitsha Highway.
“We are deploying patrol boats, just like we have done at the Third Mainland Bridge, to monitor compliance.
“Our commitment to deploying CCTV and solar lighting is not limited to bridges alone. Any completed federal highway will have CCTV, solar lights, and dedicated security vehicles. Our response time to incidents will not exceed five minutes,” Umahi said.
The minister noted that this initiative is aimed at ensuring optimum security across the entire highways in the country while enforcing strict adherence to government directives.
He further disclosed that the Nigerian government has taken steps to end all forms of mining activities within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges.
The Minister emphasised that the ban has been approved by the Federal Executive Council with an enforcement mechanism that would include patrols on the roads, bridges and water bodies.
“In line with the Federal Executive Council’s directive, there will be no mining of any sort within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges nationwide.