Last week,CKN Nigeria exclusively published a report
debunking the rumours making the rounds that West Africa’s longest bridge is
about to collapsed.
In our report,we quoted top egg heads at the Federal
Ministry of Works who told Nigerians to disregard that rumour.
To add more teeth to our report the Federal Ministry of
Works has finally debunked speculations in the social media that the Third
Mainland Bridge, Lagos, was about collapsing due to structural defects.
Dominic Avishigh, the ministry’s Director of Highways
Design (Bridges), on Sunday, urged the commuters to disregard the rumour.
He said that a joint inspection of the bridge was first
carried out by a combined team of engineers, following insinuations that the
bridge was oscillating in 2006.
“At the end of the inspection, it was resolved that an
internationally reputed bridge consultant be invited to carry out further
inspection of the bridge.
“An international bridge consultant was thereafter
invited to carry out series of inspections and investigations along with the
contractors and the bridge design consultants.
“The studies revealed that there was no threat of
collapse on the Third Mainland Bridge,” Avishigh said.
He noted that it was the same fears that led to the
commissioning of underwater studies of the sub-structure of the bridge
recently.
Avishigh said that the preliminary report of the
yet-to-be concluded studies showed that the metal casing housing the concrete
was rotting away.
According to the director, the rot is due to the
activities of certain sea creatures attracted to that section of the Lagos
Lagoon due to the discharge of organic effluent into it.
“Following the report, the Minister of Works, Mike
Onolememen, wrote to the Lagos State Government to stop the discharge of
organic effluents into the lagoon in the area,” Avishigh said.
He also said that another independent consultant on
bridges was re-invited to review the underwater report and the consultant said
that the fears were unfounded.
Avishigh was categorical that there was no immediate
danger posed by the bridge.
In 2011 according to Avishigh, President Goodluck
Jonathan had ordered the ministry to undertake the underwater inspection of all
bridges nationwide, to forestall any catastrophe, and that it was the
ministry’s investigations that necessitated the ongoing rehabilitation of the
Expansion Joints on the Third Mainland Bridge.
He therefore, urged users
of the bridge to disregard the disturbing information meant to frighten
Nigerians and cause disaffection among the people