The Federal Government has suspended its earlier plan to shut down the Eko Bridge in Lagos after a fresh technical assessment showed the structure remains safe for use for now.
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection of the bridge on Tuesday, explaining that President Bola Tinubu directed a second review to avoid causing unnecessary hardship for residents and motorists.
“We directed that this bridge be closed. That was about two weeks back, but our caring President Bola Tinubu is very much concerned about the closure of this Eko Bridge,” Umahi said.
“He has asked me to come back here and take a second look at that decision so that we don’t induce much hardship on Nigerians.”
According to the minister, engineers conducted another technical evaluation on Monday and concluded that the bridge is currently stable despite existing cracks.
“We have done our technical evaluation in line with the President’s directive. Putting safety over and above every decision, we have seen that, for now, we are safe,” Umahi stated.
He, however, warned that the government would not hesitate to take stronger action if public safety becomes threatened.
“We won’t get to a situation where any Nigerian on this bridge will not be safe,” he added.
Umahi explained that the government has adopted a three-step approach to address concerns surrounding the bridge.
The first decision, according to him, is to keep the bridge open while engineers continue monitoring the cracks to determine whether they worsen over time.
He noted that current findings show the crack has not expanded significantly.
“No progression so far. We are comfortable, but a crack can occur anytime. I will return here to reassess it,” the minister said.
Umahi also announced plans for immediate remedial work expected to last about four months.
According to him, construction firm Buildwell will carry out reinforcement work by adding extra piling and structural support around the affected section.
“We have agreed on remedial work that could be carried out within four months by Buildwell,” he explained.
“That is by doing additional piling and a pie cap and joining it to the cracked one to bypass the section that is cracked.”
He added that after the reinforcement work, authorities would proceed with the long-term structural redesign of the damaged section of the bridge.
“When that is done, we will wait for the entire design whereby the entire slab within that section will be lifted and then we will demolish what was cracked,” Umahi said.
The minister commended President Tinubu for prioritising infrastructure and public welfare, assuring Nigerians that the administration remains committed to balancing safety with the economic realities faced by citizens.
“I can assure you that the President means well, and we owe him prayers and support, and God will take us there,” he added.
