Osinbajo inspects collapsed bridge

• Says traffic will normalise in 14 days
• NARTO warns of imminent fuel scarcity

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday said the Federal Government would soon rehabilitate the collapsed bridge in Tatabu, Mokwa Local Council of Niger State.

Osinbajo, who stated this when he visited the site for an on-the-spot assessment, advised motorists plying the road to exercise patience.

The Acting President, who described the incident as unfortunate, said that the construction of an alternative bridge would be completed within 14 days to ease movement of traders and goods.

“We have come here to look at the bridge because this road is very important to us as a government and this axis is very important to motorists and the country.

“The Federal Government will make sure that the collapsed bridges along Tegina/Mokwa and Jebba/Mokwa roads are done immediately and all repairs on the roads are done.

“We commend your patience and want you to continue to be patient with us, very shortly, the bridges will be completed within a forthnight,” he said.

A statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, quoted the Acting President as saying that government was fully committed to ending the difficulties on the Ilorin-Mokwa-Jebba road by addressing the remote causes of the deterioration.

“The Minister of Works is working on a lasting solution but in the interim, we have assurances from the contractors and engineers working here that this road will be made passable in about a fortnight.” the statement said, among others.

In another development, the National President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Malam Kashim Ibrahim, said there would be scarcity of petroleum products across the country beginning from tomorrow.

Ibrahim, who made this disclosure yesterday in Tatabu village in Mokwa Local Council of Niger State when the Acting President visited the state for an on-the-spot inspection of two collapsed bridges, said if these bridges are not fixed in the next few days, there would be fuel scarcity across the country.

He said: “The 10 days ultimatum given to all tanker drivers to deliver petroleum products by the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) to points of destination cannot be actualised.”

Osinbajo, who agreed with the association, said the ultimatum given by PEF “will not work.” According to him: “I don’t think ultimatum will be of much use here. What we have to deal with here is an emergency and we have to deal with it. Everyone has been fully mobilised for the completion of the project.

“The road transport union workers understand the nature of the problem and they know we are working to fix it.”