I didn’t approve Independence Bridge method of closure, says Umahi 

According to the minister, the method fell short of the standing  practice of the Federal Ministry of Works. However,  he accepted responsibility and apologised for the inconveniences the closure has caused the road users.

 “Even though I didn’t give the approval, I’m aware of it. We did the design, and we agreed for the rehabilitation to be done. But normally, before a bridge is closed in Lagos, usually I was always contacted, and I was always giving approval. And normally, I would come down to Lagos, and then with the Lagos State Government, we would agree on alternative routes. We announce it for more than two weeks, and then we deploy the right engineering method  to do that. And so this time round, we didn’t go through that process, and that’s why we had this hardship. So Mr. President directed I should come down to Lagos and stay here until this problem is solved.

“I’m not going until the bridge is fully restored. We will work day and night to restore it, and then, we all together, will evaluate it. I thank Lagosians for their patience. And I apologise again and again, first to my boss, Mr. President, that this hardship caused Lagosians is not the intention, but we meant well” he said

Umahi said this when he visited the Independence bridge in Lagos where the government is rehabilitating the bridge.

He admonished all Federal Controllers of Works nationwide to heed  the construction standards and never to close road without obtaining approval  from the Minister of Works.

Giving  insight  into the massive construction  going on under the Renewed Hope administration,  the minister stated that over 260  critical federal road projects are  going on nationwide in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of stimulating sustainable economic growth through aggressive road infrastructure development, and for this he thanked the president immensely.

 ” I want to use this opportunity to say that no Controller of Works and no engineer in the Ministry of Works should close the road or close any bridge without getting permission through the permanent secretary to me. And then approval is given in writing. And, of course, for Federal Emergency Road Management Agency (FERMA), the managing director (MD) and the Permanent Secretary must go through the  Minister of State. And if it’s going to cause a major gridlock, the Minister of State will let me know.  So, I will visit the place, and then we’ll use a technical solution and deploy a better method statement.

  “So, we have over 260 major projects that the president is intervening on across the entire geo-political zones. Some of them are new projects, and some others are inherited ongoing projects” he  said, noting that some of the bridges  have stayed for donkey years without adequate maintenance and commended  the president for his administration’s timely intervention on the maintenance and rehabilitation of the bridges.

“On  Carter Bridge and  Third Mainland Bridge, the underwater works, and  the superstructure, Julius Berger is working on them. As we talk  now, we are understudying what is happening with our pipes inside the water. Within the next two weeks, we’ll come up with the solution to handle it. That’s why we presently closed the Third Mainland Bridge against heavy truck,  so that we’ll be able to solve the problem of what is happening inside the water once and for all” Umahi stated

ENDS