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From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Government has commenced investigation into a recent collapse of two bridges linking the northern and southern parts of the country in Mokwa, Niger State.
This was just as Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, tasked scientists and engineers to arrest the spate of road failure before the expiration of their designed life span and collapse of buildings and bridges, saying these were challenges that must be met in order to save lives and protect public and private property.
One of the bridges is in Tatabu/ Gidan Moin along Jebba- Mokwa road while the other, Bokani Bridge, is along Tegina-Makera road, both in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state.
The railway line, also along Tatabu village to Mokwa, was also washed away, thereby putting a stop to railway transportation between the South and the North
Director General of Nigerian Building and Roads Research Institute (NBBRI), Prof. Danladi Matawal, disclosed that the agency has dispatched an investigative team to the collapse sites.
He, however, said the collapse was possibly from poor design for flood control, proffering, that “the solution is actually to redesign and reconstruct the structure and give it sufficient capacity to contend with future floods.”
While commiserating with those that were injured or affected by the unfortunate incidents, he assured the nation that NBBRI would tackle the issue through the research and development.
Speaking at the 2017 NBRRI International Conference, in Abuja, with the theme: “Emerging Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Building and Road Infrastructure,’ the minister said: “We all have to work together to ensure that we find solutions to many of our infrastructural problems; particularly roads and housing,” adding, “alhough we have met with some level of success in this regard, we cannot rest until the problem is fully resolved.”
