The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, revealed this during an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
The administration led by President Bola Tinubu has announced the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. This is part of a wider initiative to enhance safety and security on this vital piece of infrastructure.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, revealed this during an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
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He explained that the surveillance system is intended not only to monitor security breaches but also to deter 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 said.
“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 addressed the recent temporary closure and reopening of the Independence Bridge in Lagos.
He said the closure was necessitated by a structural fault involving the approach slab, which failed due to a flawed design and subsequent erosion of the sand beneath it.
According to Umahi, the slab, originally built using a cantilever method, was structurally unsuitable for the location, leading to its collapse.
In a related development, the minister provided updates on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. He expressed satisfaction with the progress of the work and announced that a major section of the road will be ready for commissioning by President Bola Tinubu on 25 May 2025.
“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,” he stated.
“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.