The recent vandalisation of the median walkway of the newly commissioned Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State, is condemnable. The thieves, according to reports, had cart away metal plate in the middle of the walkway and the expansion joint of the bridge. The resident engineer in charge of the project, Oluwaseyi Martins, who made the disclosure, said the incident occurred on July 5, when the thieves stole the expansion joint walkway on axis 330 of the bridge. He further explained that the tampering with the expansion joints of the bridge could cause discomfort to motorists.
A few days after the Second Niger Bridge incident, some criminals allegedly carted away the recently reinstalled airfield lighting systems at the domestic runway 18/36L of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The suspected thieves took advantage of the closure of the runway for over three months to steal the lighting systems. The two ugly incidents add to the rising culture of vandalisation of national assets in the country. We condemn the destruction of national assets by unscrupulous elements and urge the security agencies to apprehend and prosecute those behind them.
The stolen ground lights at the Lagos Airport were installed last November, to end years of after-dusk restrictions on landing on that wing of the airport. While the lights were out of use, domestic carriers were diverted to the international airport before taxing about 4km (2.5 miles) to the right terminal, which came at huge costs to the airliners and caused flight disruptions.
Equally, the multi-billion-naira Second Niger Bridge, which runs over River Niger, linking Asaba, the Delta State capital in the South-South with the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State, the South-East, was inaugurated on May 23, this year, by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced the completion of the bridge at a briefing in October 2022 after almost five decades of failed promises by successive administrations to construct it.
The federal government spent over N336 billion in the construction of the 1.6 kilometre-long bridge to decongest traffic on the existing old Niger Bridge, boost economic activities, and connect the South-East with the rest of the country. Before its completion, the traffic situation at the Asaba-Onitsha axis, especially at yuletide seasons, was chaotic. The Second Niger Bridge and the landing lights at the Lagos Airport are critical infrastructures that should not be toyed with. It is scandalous that the bridge was vandalised barely two months after it was inaugurated and the airport lightings stolen a few months after installation. The vandalisation of public infrastructure is unacceptable.
Beyond the Second Niger Bridge and Lagos Airport landing lights, the rail tracks across the country are being tampered with as well. The Ijora Bridge, Lagos, and the rail lines across the country have reportedly been vandalised at recent times. Recently, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested 12 individuals suspected of vandalising railway sleepers and seized two trucks carrying stolen railway sleepers. According to the Director of Public Relations of the NSCDC, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, the arrests were made at Kafanchan-Kwoi Road, Kaduna State, and Agwan-Kuje village, Nasarawa and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, Keffi-Abuja expressway. Similarly, the Railway Police Command has also arrested 14 suspects in connection with rail tracks vandalism.
There is need for security surveillance around our public assets. Security agents should be deployed around them for close monitoring. Let the facilities be fully lighted at night and patrol teams deployed on them. The vandalisation of our national assets amounts to economic sabotage. There is no justification for tampering with them. The Second Niger Bridge was constructed with money from the Sovereign Wealth Fund. Such investment must be protected. There should be alarm system and police presence on the bridges and airports across the country.
Nevertheless, we call on the citizens and other users of the infrastructure to report any suspicious movements on them to the security agencies. Security of these legacy projects should be of concern to all. Destruction of the national assets by criminals is uncalled for.