Independence Bridge: Umahi applauds Elumelu, others as bridge reopens

For the roles they played in ensuring the reopening of the independence bridge, Minister of Works Engineer Nweze David Umahi has commended Chairman UBA Plc and Heir Foundation Mr. Tony Elumelu and Alhaji Aliko Dangote and for their contributions during the repairs and maintenance of the Independence Bridge in Lagos.

The Minister who made this known during the successful reopening of the bridge also introduced “Policy of Stakeholder Engagement/Feedback Mechanism” before approval for closure of federal roads nationwide.

In his speech to mark the opening of the bridge for traffic, the Honourable Minister said it was God’s grace and enablement that informed the timely success recorded in fixing the bridge. He noted that the reason for the closure of the bridge was not for pleasure but for a technical failure of the approach slab, which affected the strength and utility of the bridge. He, however, expressed displeasure that the right procedure for the closure was not followed, and that was the reason why the public was taken unawares.

He said, “So, the reason for the closure was not for pleasure. It was because it became very dangerous for commuters to use the place. But we didn’t do it in the right way. And now, we had a design for the project, and I’ve looked at the design that we intended to use by using God’s wisdom and grace and experience, and we have agreed to redesign the project. It’s going to be redesigned as one span in a bridge.”

He thanked Mr. President for his purposefulness in leadership that inspires passion, responsiveness, and proactiveness in handling matters that affect Nigerians. He also thanked the Governor of Lagos State, the engineers of the Federal Ministry of Works in Lagos, the contractor handling the bridge repair (Buildwell Nig Ltd), and Hitech Nigeria Ltd for their cooperation and support and assistance that saw to the successful reopening of the bridge.

He equally thanked Lagosians, the press and other well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders who showed concern over the plight of Nigerians affected by the closure of the bridge.

He said, “So, we remain grateful to Mr. President. We also thank the Governor for his intervention and understanding and the information given to Lagosians that has drastically reduced bottlenecks all over the island. We are grateful. We are grateful for Hitech. Hitech gave us a lot of support, materials, and equipment. We are very thankful to Hitech. All through the night, they were bringing materials, they were bringing equipment. We also thank our partner Buildwell, in this expert bridge. I absolve them of any blame in this circumstance. I’d rather thank them. They have been working in the past three days and nights, and we are grateful for their cooperation and for the partnership that has helped us to restore this bridge. And, of course, to Chief Elumelu and some other prominent Nigerians like Dangote, for their calls and encouragement. They even requested that they send their planes to carry us, and we said no”

The Honourable Minister used the opportunity to roll out a new policy direction on measures to follow before a federal road is closed nationwide. He stated that going forward, a feedback mechanism through stakeholders’ engagement would be a condition precedent that must take place before approval for closure of federal bridges/roads of essential utility such as those in Lagos State.

He mentioned among others that the person seeking such closure must state “what is to be done in that place, and then will state the technical problems and the technical solution. He will be able to put up all these exposures to the public. So, we request comments from the public and tell them how long it is going to last. And so, with this feedback, everybody is in the know, and then we’ll be able to do that.”