The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will be closed to traffic for three days from July 27, for investigative work, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has said.
Fashola, who spoke, yesterday on the Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the shutdown was necessary “to really do an examination just to be sure that there has been no material deterioration beyond what we procured”.
The minister, who debunked the reports that the bridge would be closed for 27 months, said, “The first message we sent out was that it was going to be closed for three days from July 27”, adding that the duration of maintenance would only be determined after the report of the investigative work has been received and extent of deterioration known.
He said the investigation would have been carried out earlier but the need to reduce the inconveniences that would accompany the closure compelled government to shift the time to a more convenient period when children would be on vacation and when fewer vehicles were likely to be on the bridge.
He said: “We thought that if we allowed the children to go on vacation first it would reduce the number of vehicles that needed necessarily to be on the road and ultimately reduce the amount of inconvenience…
“I think it is later in the year or early next year that the repairs will then start.”
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State Mr Adedamola Kuti, said yesterday that consultations had begun for the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs.
Kuti told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Ministry of Works was going to hold a meeting with stakeholders today to discuss how to manage traffic during the repairs.
He, however, did not specify the exact date the bridge would be closed or how long the repairs would last.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, said on Tuesday that consultations had begun for the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs.
Kuti told the media that the ministry of works was going to hold a meeting with stakeholders tomorrow to discuss how to manage traffic during the repairs.
He, however, did not specify the exact date the bridge would be closed to traffic or how long the repairs would last.
According to him, stakeholders attending the meeting to discuss the repairs include traffic regulatory agencies, transport unions, truck owners and drivers’ unions, law enforcement agents, among others.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved the maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State.
“The project has taken off already and in carrying out the work, we may at certain times be shutting down the bridge for maintenance.
“At the moment we may begin with tests on the bridge, so, we may shut it by 12 midnight on Thursday and carry out tests and some repairs and open it to traffic by midnight on Sunday.’’
He said that six other damaged bridges across the state were already undergoing maintenance and rehabilitation.
“We have contracts on maintenance of some of the bridges in Lagos.
“We are completing maintenance work on the expansion joints on the Coconut Bridge.
“We are expecting the contractor to start work on the Independence Bridge in Lagos.
“There is repair work going on currently on the Apapa Bridge, that is, Ijora/Leventis Bridge.
“Maintenance work is ongoing on the Ijora-7up Bridge; we are also changing the expansion joints.
“On the bridge around the National Stadium area, we are putting covers to all the stolen manholes, we are replacing the steel covers from stadium to Costain,” he said.
The controller said that some tests had been carried out on the Otedola Bridge, whose surface was recently burnt during a tanker fire.
Kuti said that the tests revealed that the bridge was safe for use and that the contractors would soon attend to the bridge.
…Approves construction of Ketu-Agboyi link bridge, link roads
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday commissioned the Alapere Road and junction improvement works in Agboyi Ketu area of the State, with an assurance that his administration will continue to judiciously put the monies paid by tax payers to good use.
Governor Ambode, who spoke at the commissioning ceremony, attended by party leaders, key stakeholders and scores of excited residents, said the 1.4km road was a fulfillment of one of the recommendations of the Traffic Summit organized by his administration in November 2015.
He said the summit, among others, recommended that critical road junctions should be redesigned, improved and or upgraded to meet present and future needs of road users to reduce travel times and support economic activities.
“Undoubtedly, this infrastructure, with the improvement it has conferred on this axis, and the signalization of the traffic here, will not only serve the purpose of reducing travel time and resolving traffic gridlock, it will also increase the value of properties in this area and become a source of prosperity to the owners. That is the Lagos of our dream. A Lagos where we all succeed, together,” the Governor said.
Governor Ambode also announced the approval for the commencement of the Phase three of the government’s Traffic Intervention Plan in the Ketu – Alapere Area, including the Dualization of the Demuren Road (Alapere Roundabout to Ketu Junction) and Davies Streets (Mr Biggs Junction to Mile 12).
He said the Phase three is a strategic linkage between the Third Mainland Bridge – Ogudu – Alapere Corridor via Alapere and Ikorodu Road – Ketu – Ojota – Mile 12 Corridor and that it would provide an alternative route for Lagosians, thereby taking pressure off the Ojota Interchange.
The State Government had earlier delivered a standard Layby in Alapere and many inner roads in the axis as part of its comprehensive plan to decongest traffic in the area.
Responding to an appeal by residents for the construction of the Agboyi-Ketu Link Bridge, the Governor assured that work would commence on the project before the end of the year.
“We have talked about the Ketu-Agboyi Link Bridge in the Town Hall Meeting; I know that is the most important project in this community. So, we have a contract between this community and government that that is what you want and so we will give it to you,” the Governor said.
Governor Ambode seized the occasion to thank residents who willingly gave up their properties for construction of the road, saying that the gesture made the delivery of the project possible on schedule.
“Our government sincerely acknowledges the contributions of all those behind the successful completion of this project especially all those who readily gave up their properties without recourse to litigation. We must publicly commend them and show our appreciation as the construction of this road was made easy for Government because of these individuals and institutions. This is indeed one of the few places in Lagos where people have supported Government’s developmental efforts without recourse to litigation or protest and we acknowledge this sacrifice,” he said.
Besides, the Governor urged residents of the area to take ownership of project and other facilities provided across the State by government and protect them, noting that the projects were being executed by their taxes.
“The truth is all these projects are more or less a return from the tax you are paying to government and so we are going to appeal to ourselves. Whatever little amount that you are paying as taxes, believe me you will get greater value in return and that is why you are able to get all these projects.
“So, I just want to encourage our people to continue to pay their taxes. Trust us, we will return your taxes in form of all these facilities that will make life more comfortable for all of us,” Governor Ambode said.
The Governor also said that his administration would support the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in the construction of the new Akinyemi Market, while assuring that those whose shops were affected by the project would be given priority.
Earlier, Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Mayor Dele Oshinowo thanked Governor Ambode for transforming the entire Alapere axis, saying apart from improving on the aesthetics of the area with good road network and street lights, the project had also increased the health of the people and economy of the area.
Also, a community leader, Chief Duro Dada and Chairman of Community Development Committee (CDC) of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Chief R.O Ajayi said the project had transformed the area to a mega city.
“Today is a great day in Alapere. I have lived for about 30 years in this area and I want to thank Governor Ambode for transforming our area into another Ikoyi. As a matter of fact, people don’t want to sleep at night again because of this quality road and street light. The Governor has transformed the economy of our area and I want to assure him that we will vote for him again in 2019,” Dada said.
In this prelude to an investigation on contaminated sachet water in Lagos, HANNAH OJO examines the Lagos water crisis and the sketchy alternative Lagosians are forced to embrace.
The Third Mainland Bridge, the longest bridge in West Africa, looms high above the Lagos lagoon connecting the mainland and Island. Makoko, a community of small shanties, tiny wooden houses standing on stilts, is close by. Makoko, like Lagos, is surrounded by water yet its residents have none to drink. This has earned Lagos a moniker: the city surrounded by water yet little to drink. Just like the Third Mainland Bridge, lack of potable water connects the mainland and Island. Welcome to Lagos, West Africa’s commercial nerve centre, the city that keeps attracting immigrants yet struggles to meet their water needs.
With a booming population of 24 million people and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) set at $91 billion, Lagos has the fifth largest and fastest growing economy in Africa. Despite its avalanche of skyscrapers, veritable human capital, and its aquatic splendour, the city suffers perennial water shortage. It is a bitter twist of irony that the fifty-year-old state, despite its resource and infrastructural development, has not been able to solve its water problems. This does not stop the government from dreaming big; it desires to transform the city from a mega city to a smart city.
Lagos ranked among the top ten choice destinations for rural–urban migration in the world, according to a 2014 Facebook data which compared users home town with their residence. As if to corroborate this, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, at a media parley in 2016, disclosed that 86 immigrants enter Lagos every minute; hence the urgent need for the state to provide facilities for its teeming population. However, the steep rise in population has not been matched by a complementary increase in the supply of water.
Many Lagosians rely on other sources but the government for water supply at a high cost. While some residents construct wells and boreholes, some just buy water.
“I never grew up with government water supply so I am used to sourcing water from alternative sources right from childhood. It is a huge cost for me because I fetch a paint bucket for N10 while the water vendors charge as high as N50 for a gallon. This is ridiculous and frustrating but I don’t have a choice,” Femi Olutade, a millennial Lagos resident, told The Nation.
The Lagos State Water Corporation is responsible for water supply across the state. Bedeviled by continuous population increase, poor infrastructure, failed public-private partnerships, inadequate budget allocation, poor labour practices and unstable power supply, the corporation falls short. And providing enough water to meet the needs of the citizens remains a dream, just like Lagosians waiting for government water supply from their dry taps.
“The population increase is one of our major challenges. With the research we have carried out, we need about 700 million gallons a day (MGD)for 22 million Lagosians. The gap is about 500 MGD which we are trying to close,” Muminu Adekunle Badmus, an engineer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Lagos Water Corporation, told The Nation.
The Environmental Rights Action (ERA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) states that only 10 per cent of the population has access to water supplied by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC). With four major water works and additional 48 micro and mini water works scattered in various parts of the city, the corporation produces about 215 MGD, according to the CEO. A report by ERA states that despite the number of water works, water supply remains abysmal due to some dysfunctional water works.
The Lagos Water Corporation will need $3.5 billion to execute a Water Master Plan. This includes the construction of additional large water schemes by 2020 to cover the water needs of the which is estimated to be 733 MGD by then. While Lagos plans to make this a reality, more immigrants keep pouring into the city, the shortage in water supply remains, along with implications for Lagosians.
Leo Heller, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights to water and sanitation, said the huge deficit in the provision of water by the government is “unacceptable …for millions of the megacity’s residents”. Heller added that it is worrying how the water shortage makes Lagos residents vulnerable.
The shortage has led to the unregulated proliferation of boreholes, which is regarded as a threat to the stability of the state’s water table, which experts claim might subside if exploited beyond a certain limit. Asides its implication for nature, there are also public health risks. Many times, boreholes are sited indiscriminately close to soak-aways posing health risks.
Kabir Ahmed, an architect and chairman of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, an agency responsible for regulating water supply and wastewater management, revealed that 50 per cent of residents who visit hospitals do so as a result of water-related ailments.
“The indiscriminate citing of boreholes, pit latrines, soak-aways has also been polluting the water source because you observe traces of coliform bacteria in various water sources across the state,” Ahmed told The Nation.
The average cost of digging borehole in Lagos cost between N200,000 to N350, 000 depending on the water level. In recent times, the human cost of lack of potable water supply in the state has been dire. In February 2016, 25 children from Otodo-Gbame, a slum (now demolished) in the Ikate Eti Osa Local Government Area, died after drinking the community’s pathogen-infected water. In March this year at Queens College, a government secondary school in Yaba, Lagos mainland, three students died and scores of others were hospitalised as a result of a gastroenteritis epidemic contacted through contaminated water sources. Water-borne diseases, such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhea and hepatitis remain a major burden to public health. Experts said the spate of illness is not surprising since water and sanitation are key drivers of public health.
A sketchy alternative
As taps run dry as a result of the state’s inability to provide water, many Lagos residents have been affected by the high cost of sourcing water from water vendors popularly known as “mai ruwa”. These water vendors, who buy water from tankers and houses with boreholes, resell to members of the public, increasing prices when there is the lack of power supply and fuel scarcity to power generators. The hygiene of the water supplied by these sellers remains questionable, increasing risks of contamination.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Packaged water in small sachets retailed on the streets has also served as an alternative source of water for many Nigerians since the close of the last century. Popularly called “Pure Water”, as they are supposed to be treated, their quality and hygiene status have been questionable. There are indications that the quality of sachets of the pure water sold in Lagos do not conform to the highest standards of purity.
The sachet water phenomenon is also considered as an environmental nuisance owing to the waste generated by consumers who litter the streets with sachets. Many times, these sachets end up blocking the sewage and causing flooding.
In 2013, Dr Sola Oguntona and Prof Oluwole Adedeji of the Lagos State University carried out a research testing contamination of sachet water produced in the industrial area of Ikeja, Lagos.
Six samples sachets of pure water were randomly selected from the open market and studied by an examination on the physical parameters and inorganic constituents. The result showed that all the sachet water samples were acidic. The samples also showed high level of heavy metals and chloride.
Despite doubt over purity standards and the likelihood of contamination, many Lagosians are forced to consume sachet water due to lack of choice.
“People are paying for the failure of the government to provide water on the table. The so-called pure water is unsafe and not environmentally sustainable. We don’t endorse sachet water as an alternative or as a means of getting water to the people,” Akinbode Oluwafemi, Deputy Executive Director of ERA, told The Nation.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) under contention
The government plans to bridge the water gap through public-private partnership (PPP).
“In the area of environment, we will improve water supply through PPP and increase the capacity utilisation of water treatment plants….”, Ambode announced during the presentation of the 2017 budget proposal of N812.998 billion to the House of Assembly.
The state government’s plan to encourage private sector participation in the water sector has been questioned by Our Water Our Right Campaign, a coalition movement of civil society organisations and labour unions.
“We are also challenging the state government in terms of their approach which is to think that privatisation is the silver bullet to solving the problem of water in Lagos. From examples of different countries of the world privatisation has failed. Privatisation is going to cause a lot of problem for the poor people in Lagos. There is going to be access and pricing problems as well as social unrest for the 80% of residents of the state who depend on the informal sector,” Oluwafemi said.
However, the government has maintained that PPP is not privatisation, stating that the Lagos Water Corporation will retain ownership of the assets while the state government regulates the sector.
Nigeria is classified as a water-short country, whose water resources is likely to reduce from 2,506 cubic metres per year in 1995 to 1,175 cubic meters in 2025, if not properly managed, according to UNICEF. The human right to water requires, among other things, that drinking water be affordable and accessible. The possibility of achieving this reality by 2020 appears distant to Lagosians.
Reporting for this story was supported by Code for Africa’s impactAFRICA fund and the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation.
SIR: I was really astonished to hear the news of the medical doctor who went all the way to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos and killed himself! He actually committed suicide in the cruelest way. He was actually cruel to himself, to his family, and to Nigeria.
I have heard someone telling another during a heated argument to go to the Third Mainland Bridge and jump into the lagoon. I can see that people now regard the Third Mainland Bridge as a place where they can go and end their life if they wish. They could just go and jump into the lagoon without as much as anybody or government official being there to prevent these suicide tendencies.
Why the Third Mainland Bridge? Why be so cruel to yourself, your family and the nation by making everyone look for your body so frantically, and you end up putting everyone in fear and pain? Why prevent people from giving you a decent burial, and why give your body to the fishes to devour? Has the Third Mainland Bridge now become a place where people go to end it all if they could no longer bear the harsh economy?
And why is the government not proactive to stop this trend? What is it in this bridge that always attracts people to jump and commit suicide? Now we know that the recession is biting harder and harder everyday while the government is helpless over the situation of things. What a pity! What a nation!
If we have a caring government that cares for the citizens, by now there should have been officials of government whose duty should be to lurk around this bridge where people go to commit suicide in order to prevent them from ending their lives. Why allow them end their lives after you failed them as a government? Nigerians were once known to be the happiest people on earth but I think the reverse is now the case.
If officials cannot be stationed on the Third Mainland Bridge to prevent suicide, then why can’t the government erect barriers on this bridge to prevent people from jumping into the lagoon to end their lives when they’re depressed? Is this not possible? The government must as a matter of urgency erect very high barriers now on this bridge that will prevent suicide attempts there. Why allow people continue to tragically take their own lives on this bridge all the time without any preventive measures? We should value human lives as a nation, and the government must do more to protect the citizens.
We must realise that every Nigerian life is precious and must be protected. The government must be proactive and act before it’s too late. We cannot continue to lose people to avoidable suicide, even when we can prevent it in the first place.
Family of the medical doctor who jumped into the Lagoon last Sunday has said the body found by the Marine Police on Tuesday is not that of their son, Allwell Oji.
According to Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), five family members invited to inspect the body at the Marine Police Unit said it was that of another person.
LASEMA said the search for the doctor continues.
The Police had earlier confirmed that a body suspected to be that of the drowned medical doctor, Allwell Oji has been recovered.
“We cannot say if it is his body because we don’t have a picture of him. He was found exactly 10:30am and we have contacted his family to come and identify if he is the one. The body was found in Onikan,” said the Police source
The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has come under heavy criticism from residents in Lagos over the abandonment of the repair works in the Third Mainland Bridge and other adjoining roads.
The Agency, last month had begun repairs on both carriage ways of the Bridge, scrapping the asphalt on some section of the bridge, but had vacated site for over two weeks, leaving motorists to contend with the current state of the road.
Motorists had attributed several accidents which had occurred on the Bridge in recent times to the uncoordinated method by which FERMA was carrying out the repair works.
But investigations on Friday, however, showed that though the sum of N10billion was voted for FERMA in the 2016 Budget of the Federal Ministry of Works, the contractor engaged for the job was yet to be mobilised.
With the March 31, 2017 date for the end of the implementation of the 2017 budget fast approaching, FERMA had hurriedly moved the contractor to site, however its failure to mobilize them led to the repair works being stalled.
Some motorists in the State are however calling on the Minister of Works to rise up to the challenge and ensure that the Agency completes the repair works so as to save motorists the nightmare and the incessant accidents caused by the present state of the Bridge.
Mr. Babajide Kasali, a motorist who plies the axis on a daily basis, decried the long hours of traffic occasioned by the slow pace of the repair works, saying that it was gradually taking a toll on his health and productivity.
Another motorist, Mrs. Abidemi Otegbola said FERMA’s inability to carry out its duties was due to lack of proper monitoring by the parent ministry.
The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) yesterday began laying of asphalt on IBB Boulevard, popularly called the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents, who visited the bridge, observed FERMA workmen spreading asphalt on the Obalende/CMS bound carriageway; trucks loaded with construction materials lined up in front of a roller-paving machine.
Last month, FERMA removed asphalt from some critical portions on the bridge, preparatory to the beginning of the repair.
The engineer supervising the project, Tayo Awodun, told NAN that FERMA was mindful of the high traffic volume on the axis and had devised a way that would ease the situation while working.
“The only problem on the bridge is the high traffic volume but we are managing it.
“We are working on Lagos in-bound carriageway now because the traffic is higher on the out-bound lanes because of those returning home from work”.
He said work would continue on both carriageways on rotational basis late into the night.
This is a bid to complete the whole work in a record time, adding with minimal inconvenience as possible to road users, Awodun said.
Motorists yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing over the abysmal handling of work on the Third Mainland and Kara bridges, especially.
A cross-section of the motorists, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said some of the works were being handled without considering the people’s interest.
They urged the Power, Works and Housing Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do their jobs with utmost regard for the people.
FERMA has begun a rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge to ease motorists’ pains.
NAN checks yesterday showed that FERMA was removing asphalt on four portions on the Obalende/Church Missionary Society (CMS)-bound carriageway.
The engineer in charge of the agency, Lagos East, Mr Tayo Awodun told NAN that the agency was working on both carriageways in a way that would not affect traffic flow.
Awodun said the heavy traffic on the axis was slowing down the repair, but added that the agency usually staggered work between lanes with less traffic to reduce motorists’ hardship.
“Generally, the challenge we are having is that traffic is ever high on the bridge being one of the major routes for motorists coming to the island.
“We have always studied the traffic situation and we work when we have less traffic, that is why on some days our work spans into the night on the carriageway that has less traffic.
“We put on necessary safety measures when working at night. For the Lagos (Obalende/CMS) – bound carriageway for example, we start work at about noon when the rush hours for those going to work on the island would have been over.
“While for the Oworonshoki- bound carriageway, we start work at about 7 a.m. or earlier, till about 2 p.m. when we leave site. We try to move men, materials and equipment out of site before 3 p.m. because by 4 p.m. traffic would be back, with people returning from work,” he said.
The engineer said FERMA had been on site for over one week, adding that the agency’s plan is to complete work on bad portions before May.
The work schedule, he said, was planned in a way that it would not cause much discomfort to road users.
A motorist, Mr Samuel Arogundade, said since the Third Mainland Bridge repair started some weeks ago, motorists been subjected to untold hardship through traffic delay.
He said: “I think Mr Fashola and his men should wake up. Look at the other day, a serious accident occurred on the bridge involving about 10 vehicles. The accident left many injured and it was because the construction was not handled professionally.
“The construction company left their equipment on the bridge without any iota of consideration for safety and their negligible action caused the accident.
Another motorist, Mrs Abidemi Olakunle, said it was time for the government to do things properly.
“Look for instance, Lagos State Government has constructed four lay-bys in Oworonshoki axis to ease vehicular movement in an out of Third Mainland Bridge. The lay-bys and segregated bus stops have greatly helped to reduce travel time inward and outward Lagos Island but since the Federal Government started repair work on the bridge, they have frustrated all the successes recorded via the efforts of the state government.
“Another thing is that the repair work they are carrying out on the bridge has not even yielded positive impact because up till now, they have removed the asphalt of some sections of the bridge and they are yet to put other ones there. They should just sit up and finish their work on time,” she said.
“In the area of environment, we will improve water supply through PPP and increase the capacity utilisation of water treatment plants….”, Ambode announced during the presentation of the 2017 budget proposal of N812.998 billion to the House of Assembly.
