The Bola Tinubu-led administration has revealed that it has installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos as part of a wider effort to enhance safety and security on the vital infrastructure.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, made this announcement during an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
He explained that the surveillance system was not only designed to monitor security issues but also aimed at preventing suicide attempts on the bridge.
“We have put CCTVs down under the deck so that anybody who is excavating sand within the 10-kilometre radius will be spotted. We have built, beside the bank of the sea on Third Mainland Bridge, an examination house where we have the police, navy, army, and local security,” Umahi stated.
“They will all be there watching the CCTV so that anybody who is trying to take his life on the Third Mainland Bridge, they will spot the person. With this CCTV, there will be no more excavation of sand under the deck around the piles,” he added.
The minister also discussed the recent temporary closure and subsequent reopening of the Independence Bridge in Lagos.
He explained that the closure was prompted by a structural issue involving the approach slab, which had failed due to a flawed design and erosion of the sand beneath it.
According to Umahi, the slab, originally constructed using a cantilever method, was structurally inadequate for the location, which led to its collapse.
In related news, Umahi provided updates on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress of the work and revealed that a major section of the road would be ready for commissioning by President Bola Tinubu on May 25, 2025.
“The beginning of section one, as of today, about 15 kilometres by two carriageways on average has been achieved, and at the end of the project at Eleko where section one stopped, about 5 kilometres has been achieved,” he explained.
“So, the idea is by the 25th of May, 30 kilometres continuously will be made available for Mr President to commission from the beginning of section one down to kilometre 0 to 20,” Umahi concluded.
