The Federal Government says it has reconstructed more than 10 bridges in each state of the federation and completed over 260 emergency road rehabilitation projects nationwide at a cost exceeding N250 billion over the past three years.
Senator Dave Umahi, Minister of Works, disclosed this on Sunday during a stakeholder engagement and the flag-off of road projects in Lagos.
Umahi also provided updates on the ongoing repairs of the Eko Bridge and the deployment of 40 highway guards to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
According to the minister, all 260 emergency road projects have been completed, describing the scale of the intervention as unprecedented.
Umahi said the government had introduced additional oversight measures to improve transparency and accountability in road project execution.
He disclosed that the ministry had invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to independently inspect ongoing road projects, including their procurement and execution processes.
The minister said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had also been invited to conduct similar checks. “Under President Bola Tinubu, for the first time, we exposed all the ongoing projects to the ICPC to go around, check procurement, check execution, and give us queries where we have erred, and we will take corrections. We have also written to the EFCC to follow suit. It shows transparency, it shows commitment, it shows accountability,” he said.
Umahi said the Eko Bridge remains in serious condition, but the government had avoided a complete closure because of the likely impact on traffic and commuters in Lagos.
He explained that only the affected carriageway had been closed while engineers monitor the structural crack daily. “To close the entire section will bring a very devastating situation for our people in Lagos. That is why we closed that carriageway, half of it, and we are monitoring the crack on daily basis,” he said.
The immediate remedial work, according to the minister, will involve reinstalling about seven piles, bypassing the damaged pile-cap section and constructing a new pile cap.
He said the temporary remedial solution is expected to last between 15 and 20 years while the government develops a permanent solution.
The permanent rehabilitation will involve jacking up the affected spans, demolishing the damaged pile caps, installing new pile caps and piers, and subsequently restoring the bridge deck.
Umahi also spoke on the 40 highway guards recently deployed to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
He said the guards would help keep the corridor free from activities that could obstruct traffic and undermine the integrity of the highway.
Their responsibilities include tackling hawking, loitering, commercial motorcycle operations and refuse dumping along the corridor.
