The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has revealed that closed-circuit television cameras have been installed on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, as part of broader efforts to improve safety and security.
Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on Friday, Umahi explained that the surveillance system was introduced not only to monitor security incidents but also to help prevent 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,” the minister said.
According to The PUNCH, he added, “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.”
The minister also addressed recent concerns about the temporary closure and subsequent reopening of the Independence Bridge in Lagos.
According to him, the closure was necessary due to a structural fault involving the approach slab of the bridge.
He explained that the original design of the slab was flawed, leading to its eventual collapse when sand filling beneath it eroded. Umahi also noted that the slab was constructed using a cantilever approach, which proved to be structurally unsound in that location.
Speaking on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, the minister expressed satisfaction with the pace of progress and confirmed that a major section would be ready for inauguration by May 25, 2025, by President Bola Tinubu.
“The beginning of section one, as at 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.
“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,” he said.
