Photo caption: House of Representatives
The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently carry out a holistic technical audit of the Otedola Bridge in Lagos within 30 days.
The mandate is the sequel to frequent accidents on the road with last week’s accident involving a 30-tonne gas truck as the most recent.
The House said the audit should focus on the bridge’s gradient, descent, and structural vulnerabilities and recommend modifications including gradient reduction, reinforced safety barriers, and emergency escape lanes—for implementation within 12 months.
The decision of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance during Tuesday’s plenary, sponsored by the member representing Badagry Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Mr Sesi Whingan.
The House also approved the allocation of emergency funds for immediate repairs to damaged sections of the Otedola Bridge within 90 days, pending the completion of a full redesign.
The House also asked the Federal Road Safety Corps to establish permanent weighbridges and vehicle inspection stations along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway within 60 days.
This, they noted, is to ensure that all tankers comply with legal weight limits and braking system standards, with defaulters subject to vehicle impoundment and prosecution.
The House also called for the enforcement of nationwide policy requiring bi-annual action of all fuel tankers, digitally monitored, to eliminate mechanically unsafe vehicles from Nigerian roads.
Furthermore, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Transportation to develop a mandatory training and certification programme for drivers of articulated vehicles within six months, with a focus on steep gradients and emergency response procedures.
Whingan said, “The House is aware that on March 11, 2025, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a tanker overturned and exploded on Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-lbadan Expressway, resulting in a devastating inferno that destroyed vehicles, properties, and caused severe traffic disruptions on this critical transport corridor, with the full extent of casualties and losses yet to be determined.
“This tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal accidents on Otedola Bridge.
“On June 28, 2018, a tanker fire killed at least 122 people and incinerated over 50 vehicles.
“In November 2019, October 2020, and March 2021, multiple incidents of tanker crashes and explosions were established along Otedola Bridge.
“Investigations and analyses have identified multiple causes of these frequent accidents, including engineering defects leading to steep, gradient and sharp descent of Otedola Bridge placing excessive strain on the braking systems of heavy-duty vehicles, increasing the risk of brake failure and loss of control.”
He identified other causes including mechanical failures, incidents of brake malfunctions, burst tyres, and vehicle overloading.
Others, he stressed, involved human errors arising from reckless driving, excessive speeding, and inadequate training of tanker operators.
