Minister of Works, David Umahi, has taken responsibility for the sudden closure of Independence Bridge in Lagos State and apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Lagosians, despite not being informed of it’s closure beforehand.
Umahi said it was “very unfortunate” that the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs Olukorede Keisha, would unilaterally take a decision of that magnitude and promised disciplinary action.
Speaking to journalists on site in Lagos on Thursday, Umahi emphasised that such a major decision, especially in a city like Lagos, should have been discussed at the ministerial level before execution.
He said, “I was not informed. The controller did that on her own, and it’s very unfortunate. Because for a bridge to be closed, especially in Lagos, as, you know, as has been the tradition, I should be informed, as the minister. And we should also have studied the implication of it, even though it’s an emergency situation. We would have deployed emergency evaluation of the implication of closing the bridge. Was there any other thing we would have done? And then why we take time to do the proper work?
“And so I use the opportunity to warn all controllers and engineers all over the country. Never you close the route or close any bridge without only through the Perm Secretary, who we seek for the permission from the Honorable Minister of Works. And so there will be consequences, disciplinary action for this.
Umahi also issued a public apology to Lagos residents and President Bola Tinubu for the disruptions caused by the closure.
“Let me apologise to Lagosians and to Mr. President for the trouble this closure caused the entire Lagosians and of course the nation. I take responsibility for it, even though I did not order it. But every action by any staff or minister of works, I take responsibility for that. So I’m not shying away from the failure that this sudden closure caused. If we were to do this properly, there would be a different kind of statement we would have deployed. And we wouldn’t have necessitated to total closure.
“And even if we were going to close, we would have done it in such a way that we take three days- Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then we would have put in place the remedial work that would be necessary. So what we are doing now is to restore the bridge temporarily within the next three days. By Sunday, this place will be totally open. And then after two weeks, we will look at the settlements. And then we will take out three days to put the permanent structure. That is what we’re going to do.”
Umahi had, on Wednesday, ordered the immediate reopening of the Independence Bridge in Victoria Island, Lagos after concerns over worsening traffic congestion caused by the bridge’s closure.
The bridge had been closed earlier for planned maintenance and rehabilitation. However, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry confirmed that while the bridge is now accessible to motorists, palliative works will continue to improve its condition.
The ministry expressed regret over the inconvenience caused by the closure and appealed for public understanding. It also clarified that the full repair works on the bridge will be conducted at a later date.
