By Olasunkanmi Onifade
On December 28, media reports said the Federal Government had announced the closure of the Iyana Oworonshoki-Adeniji Adele section of the Third Mainland Bridge for rehabilitation works.
According to the report, the section of the bridge will be closed from 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
Prior to this announcement, many motorists had complained about vibrations while driving on the bridge.
Lagos residents recently appealed to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately remove Alapere pedestrian bridge immediately pending the government is ready to replace it.
Please let them know that the lives of passers-by to and fro Lagos Island are already at risk because the bridge may fall at anytime.
“Nigerians are found of seeing the eventuality before they take action. No blood of innocent Nigerian is worth spilling again at Alapere pedestrian bridge“, said a worried user of the bridge.
In Enugu for instance, tragedy was averted in September when a bridge along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Federal Highway at the New Artisan Market collapsed.
The incident occurred in the morning when a truck conveying Nigerian Breweries products and an unidentified lorry were on the bridge.
No life was lost during the incident as emergency responders were present to ensure that no unsuspecting vehicle plunged into the water.
Commuters were stranded after the bridge collapse, leading to traffic diversions within the state capital to avoid the affected area.
The state governor, Peter Mbah, while reacting to the incident, called on the federal government to consider a concession of federal roads to states and private sectors for proper maintenance.
The governor explained that the current model of road maintenance across the country would not guarantee a better condition and longevity of Nigerian roads.
Regretting that the current model of maintenance had failed woefully, the governor thanked God that no life was lost despite the magnitude of the incident.
“The bridge collapse didn’t just happen. These threats could have been identified if we had routine or regular maintenance.
“Perhaps the way to go is to find a way to concession these roads to the states. The states need to take charge of the roads within their domain and there has to be a conversation around the funding models”, Mbah said.
In 2022, the dilapidated bridge on Bida-Minna Road collapsed at Sagamio Farms, about 23 kilometres from Bida and 60 kilometres from Minna. The incident cut off the two major towns in Niger.
The federal government says the Nigerian Building and Road and Research Institute (NBRRI) is the solution to creating more viable systems and provide solutions to recurring problems of building and bridge collapse.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, said the reoccurring building and bridge collapse in the country would become an issue of the past if individuals and stakeholders patronised NBRRI.
According to him, if all stakeholders patronised NBRRI, there would not be bridge collapses, adding that roads would not also fail as quickly as they do across the country.
“If the materials being used for roads are subjected to integrity tests you will you will be able to determine how long a road will last.
“When you design a building then you put Y20 and it turns out to be Y18 what will be result over time the rods will carry the building it will fail.
“Like the bridge collapse in Enugu, NBRRI was there to do an integrity test and found the reason for that collapse“, he said.
When building collapses, it comes with lots of casualties, not just the cost of repairing it and the minister recognises this.
“The collapse of buildings and bridges is not merely a matter of structural failure; it is a grave social, economic, and safety concern that demands our immediate and unwavering attention,” Nnaji said.
Corroborating the minister, Director-General, NBBRI, Prof. Samson Duna, said the institute sought partnership with relevant stakeholders in terms commercialising the research and development outputs.
“Some of the research and development outputs by the institute are NBBRI Dismountable House (NDH), Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB), pozzolana which is an alternative to cement and Bamboo as reinforcement.
“Others includes rubberised asphalt for road maintenence, natural bitumen mix design specification development for road construction fancy facing tiles, paving stones making machines and testing laboratories and equipment,” he said.
Experts say capacity building in conducting applied research and development would help various aspects of roads, buildings and engineering materials of the Nigerian economy.
They are also of the view that building engineers need more strict supervision as many of them are the habit of cutting costs thereby deploying substandard materials when handling projects.
It is equally important that structures such as bridges undergo integrity test regularly to avert the dangers and loses associate with their collapse. (NANFeatures)
