- The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola says some columns and beams of the Third Mainland Bridge are threatened because of human activities
- Fashola discloses that the federal government has budgeted N270 billion to overhaul 50 bridges across the country
- The minister says the overhaul of the bridges, maintenance, repairs and restoration, will take three years to complete
The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola has said that many of the bridges in Lagos and across the country had suffered neglect and had not undergone routine maintenance.
The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola has disclosed that some columns and beams of the Third Mainland Bridge are threatened by sand-filling, erosion and other human activities.
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Fashola made the disclosure while inspecting the rehabilitation of Lagos Ring Road Bridge abutment and approach to the Third Mainland Bridge project, in Lagos, on Tuesday, December 3, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The minister said some columns and beams of the Third Mainland Bridge were threatened because of human activities, sand filling and ecological factors which resulted in erosion.
“The work we have come to inspect was awarded some years back when there was indication of some mis-alignments here on the Lagos Outer Ring Road which is the beginning of what leads on to the Third Mainland Bridge itself.
“And, it is being caused by erosion, sand filling and other activities. This road has moved as a result of some sub-soil displacement,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the federal government has budgeted N270 billion to overhaul 50 bridges across the country.
According to him, overhaul of the bridges, maintenance, repairs and restoration, will take three years to complete.
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He noted that many of the bridges in Lagos and across the country had suffered neglect and had not undergone routine maintenance.
“Many of the bridges we built in the country over the last four, five decades have not been under any form of maintenance. We now have a three-year plan for over 50 bridges across the country for maintenance, repairs and restoration. And, it is going to cost about N270 billion, over three years.
“Our plan is to start with about N70 billion to N100 billion in year one; starting with the very critical ones so that they do not collapse and then, we move to the less critical ones," minister said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) says Nigeria lost over N534 billion in revenue in the power sector for the year 2016.
1. Shortages in gas supply
2. Frequency and line limitations and
3. Water levels management constraints that led to several cases of outage in the country.
NESI also put the average daily revenue loss in the sector at N1.5 billion.
Already, the sector is finding it difficult to access more loans from Nigerian banks due to their inability to meet the payment obligations for previous debts.
The situation will also affect the capacity of the power firms to improve on electricity supply to consumers for domestic and industrial uses.
It was also disclosed that about 12 power stations could not produce electricity during off-peak under the review period.
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