The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, (SAN), has cautioned Lagos residents against using under bridges in the state as markets, noting that the facilities are built for ease of vehicular movement and movement of goods and services.
Speaking during the inspection tour of the recently burnt Eko bridge, Fashola noted that tough laws were needed as regards the protection of bridges and that such laws must have federal government’s backing and support.
“If you don’t give tough laws, things will not be done. You have our support. Under bridges are not places for cooking or residing and it’s not only endangering their lives but also the lives of other people. Illegal way of living must be put to an end.
“We are appealing to the Lagos state government to ensure that all trading activities under the bridges in the state must as a matter of urgency be brought to a stop. We seek the cooperation of the ministry of transportation, environment, local government law enforcement agencies to help us preserve our bridges,” he said
The Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Dr Olufemi Hamzat, in his comments, warned the citizens to desist from doing business under the bridge and live the right way for the interest of others.
“The state government will be available to monitor the process and provide assistance where necessary to ensure that the contractor has a smooth operation. In the aspect of people trading under the bridge, we will communicate with appropriate departments to ensure that the issue is addressed,” he noted.
The Director Highways (Bridges and Design) Oluropo Oyetade explained that as a result of the fire incident on the bridge, the section of the bridge had been closed and the contractor had been directed to carry out technical evaluation of the bridge to ascertain the extent of the damage.
Speaking on the extent of the damages, Managing Director, Messrs Buildwell Plants and Equipment Industries Limited., Enile Aboohabib said that most of the bearings on the bridge needed to be changed.
