By Mathew Dadiya

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday approved N17.5 billion variation in the construction of the old Enugu-Onitsha road bringing the current sum to N48.99 billion.

It also authorized N6.28 billion for surface maintenance of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State and the sum of N450 million for the installation of baggage scanners in all railway stations across the country.

Addressing State House correspondents after the weekly cabinet meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye disclosed this.

Adegoroye said that the devices were necessary because of the need to enhance the security of lives and property in the nation’s railway facilities.

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation had two memos today, which I presented on behalf of the ministry and it had to do with one, the provision of scanners at all railway stations all over the country.

“You’ll all agree with me that given the process of security of lives and property, such equipment has to be installed at our railway stations. Since we’re starting the railway revolution, we are trying to put in place a lot of things with the railways. We don’t want people to come and damage all that the government has been trying to put in place in that sector.

“So, today there was a memo before the Council for the provision of baggage scanners at railway stations and I’m happy to inform you that the Council agreed with us and has approved that contract for scanners to be installed at railway stations so that when people get there and have goods, then they can pass through the scanners and they can be sure that there’s nothing that can destroy, that can cause violence or inflict danger or bring lives and property at stake,” he said.

Also, briefing, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the maintenance of the third mainland bridge would take 24 months and will cover 11 kilometers including interchanges, ramps, and critical links.

He said the move aligns with Executive Order 11 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

The Minister said there will be no duplication of efforts by the federal government or State government and has also begun maintenance on some sections of the bridge.

According to him, the State’s Public Works Corporation will focus on the functional structure of the bridge such as the underwater piles, while the federal government will undertake surface maintenance to treat potholes and restore missing guard rails.

“We presented two memoranda to the council and both were approved. The first was about contract cost revision by way of augmentation for the old Enugu/Onitsha Road, from Okpi Junction, all the way to Udioji to the Anambra border in Enugu state.

“The augmentation was in the sum of N17,050,000,000, which revised the contract to N48,996,488,925 Naira with an additional completion time of 42 months.

“The second contract was a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the Third Mainland Bridge and this was approved in the sum of N6,278,063,585.58 for the Executive Order 11 signed by Mr. President for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure.

“Now, some of you might ask, I was asked before that, okay, we did some work on Third Mainland Bridge before, why were there potholes now on it? So, this contract is in response to the potholes that have become manifest on the entire pavement of the deck of the bridge, spanning 11 kilometers, and the interchanges at Adeniji Adele, Adekunle, and Gbagada ramps that all link the bridge.

“This is for the resurfacing and all of that. Those who are familiar with the bridge will recall that all of these failings were not this manifest on the bridge at the time we were doing the work we were doing. The work that we did concentrate largely on the sub-structure of the bridge, the piles, the underwater piles, the pile caps, and also the replacement of the expansion joint and the bearings. These are maintenance works that are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.

“What we’re dealing with now is different. It is the driving surface and the aesthetics, some of the rails that have been stolen, and some of the planes that are misaligned at ramps that lead you on and off the bridge. So, this is the work that is being done now. So, all the experience of avoiding potholes on the bridge, this award of contract will tackle that,” he said.

Asked if there are cameras to man bridges and other places, he said, “Currently, what exists are some levels of manual patrols. And these are some of the debates that we had in Council today. How, by legislation, such as the Federal Road Safety Commission Act, the law enforcement and securing of federal highways have been taken away from the Ministry of Works and vested in the Federal Road Safety Corps, which is now domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) under the Presidency.  So, there is a need to realign those ministerial oversights.

“One of my proposals today for consideration and recommendation to the next government is to move the Federal Road Safety Corps away from the SGF and let it become a parastatal supervised by the Ministry of Works, whoever that may be so that there is a proper alignment of responsibility because if you build the road, somebody has a statutory responsibility to secure it.

“That person better reports to the main organ instead of through a third or remote organization. But one of the things you might find also is as fiber optic capacity increases, then it will be easier to install cameras because cameras need remote monitoring to carry images and I know that Lagos State is rolling out very, very massively in terms of fiber optic. So, I think we will get there sooner rather than later.”

Fielding question on whether there be a closure or shutdown of the bridge during the 24 months repairs will be going on, the minister said when the formal contracts are drawn same contractors mobilized to the site, will work with the Lagos state government.

“We have a close working relationship with the government and also with their agencies. We do a lot of communication with the commuting public in Lagos using national and state agencies, especially the Lagos Traffic Radio. I am not able to say categorically now, what the methods statement would be in terms of closures or no closures. I can reasonably anticipate diversions and some traffic management.

“But what we try to do is to ensure that since it is scarifying largely and resurfacing, it can be done over the weekend, wherever there is the need to have an unimpeded work area.  We’ve tried that before.  We close down on Fridays and reopen early Mondays.

“I think that will be the worst that we will see in sections but not for any prolonged period. So, we will try and minimize the discomfort to commuters as much as possible and as much as it is avoidable, through management, planning, preparation, and communication.

“Those are the tools of management. Prepare and work with the contractor and see what he wants to do. They will communicate and notify the public that there will be disruptions or diversions and we will monitor and implement very diligently as we have done before.”