Lagos residents faced significant traffic disruptions earlier this week due to the rehabilitation of the Independence Bridge, a situation that dominated discussions on Friday’s edition of “Jasiri” on News Central TV.
Host Katherine Obiang attributed Wednesday’s severe traffic congestion directly to a lack of clear communication and coordination between the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu.
“You see that everything is clear as crystal; why that Wednesday’s traffic happened is because there was no communication, no clear plan,” Obiang stated.
“The Ministry of Works is saying something; the governor of Lagos is saying something else. It is almost as if everybody is working on their lines of communication alone. But you cannot work that way.”
Obiang highlighted the possibility of the bridge being temporarily reopened, noting, “There is a possibility that the bridge can be reopened even if it is temporarily, but that is a possibility. What parameters are you putting for later? Whether we like it or not, we are prolonging the inevitable; this is going to happen. And they need to work on the bridge, but thankfully, the bridge will be reopened at least for this weekend.”
However, fellow host Omotunde Adebowale-David expressed concerns about the methods being employed in the bridge repairs.
She criticised the continued reliance on manual labour, stating, “It seems we are still in the old archaic century in Nigeria. I might not have been everywhere in the world, but I have been privileged to see, at least online, the kind of machinery and engineering geniuses that roads and the construction of them have been taken.”
Adebowale-David emphasised the availability of modern technology that could expedite the work, saying, “There are so many innovations, and we are still having the manual. All these things that men are shovelling, like sharp sand, there are new machines that can do these things quicker and faster.”
She further questioned the capabilities of the contracted companies, asking, “We cannot continue to give contracts to companies that do not have the capacity or the new technology to work this road because how much can a manual shovelling of sand make it go enough?”
The discussion on “Jasiri” underscores the public frustration surrounding the Independence Bridge situation, highlighting the need for better inter-governmental communication and the adoption of modern engineering techniques for infrastructure projects in Lagos.
The temporary reopening of the bridge for the weekend will likely relieve commuters, but the underlying issues and the eventual full closure remain a point of concern.
