Lagos residents have received an appeal from Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, over the problems caused by the closed Independence Bridge.
Governor Sanwo-Olu was quoted as saying that although the bridge’s closure was unfortunate, it was required to save the lives of its users.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the bridge on Thursday morning, the governor asked Lagos residents to back the government’s efforts to make the bridge safe for drivers.
He said that because the Independence Bridge was already old, drivers could risk drowning if continuous repairs were not started.
“First, I believe it is appropriate to first offer our citizens and Legosians our sincere apologies for the extremely difficult and incorrect practices that we encountered in the city and on the island of Lagos over the past 24 hours,” he said. This apology, in my opinion, is crucial in order for the national and subnational governments to fully accept responsibility for simply carrying out their citizens’ duties. Unfortunately, everything was done with good intentions, for worthy causes, and to help us deal with the impending calamity. It’s conceivable that there will never be a perfect moment for you to do everything you want to do. There will always be difficulties, even if you believe that now is the ideal moment to accomplish these tasks. As a result, the builder has a contract in this case. In order to maintain the integrity of the Independence Bridge, this contract was signed more than three years ago.
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Currently, Independence Bridge stands as one of the nation’s oldest bridges. The Independence Bridge, which connects Victoria Island from the Bonny Camp to the Marina side of Lagos Island, is about 80 or 90 years old, so I’m sure you’ve had to check it out. Even in this entire corridor, it has been the oldest. However, this approach end has been seriously threatened, extending from Victoria Island into Marina.
First, the builder stabilized the area underneath, which is invisible to us, during the course of the previous two years. To keep the integrity of the bridge intact, they have installed a great deal of sheet piling underneath it. The bridge’s 15–20 m span, however, is the major problem because it is perched on nothing.
It is now resting on nothing since erosion has eroded beneath it over the years. Therefore, it is true that a catastrophe is only around the corner. God forbid that one day a section of the bridge simply collapses, plunging you straight into the river. They have so been discussing when it would be best for us to move in and put an end to this issue.
