• Umahi reveals underwater issues detected on bridge
• ‘Govt refocusing spending as budget assumptions falter’
• Lagos announces four-day partial closure of Independence Bridge
The Federal Government has unveiled plans for a massive upgrade of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, following the N21 billion spent on emergency repairs late last year.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said that the government had allocated a fresh N3.8 trillion to tackle deep structural issues threatening the bridge’s viability.
Umahi, who spoke after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, said underwater and structural assessments of the bridge revealed severe damage caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion to its piles and piers. He said that the findings were similar to those from earlier studies on the Carter Bridge, also in Lagos State, which was found to be beyond repair, saying that Julius Berger had recommended its full replacement, estimated to cost N359 billion.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has issued a traffic advisory ahead of emergency repairs on the damaged section of the wall and expansion joints of the Maryland Independence Bridge.
Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said yesterday that the repairs would run from Saturday, August 16, to Tuesday, August 19, 2025, between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. daily. He urged the motorists to use alternative routes during the three-night repair works.
IN another development, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, yesterday, said that the government is now prioritising spending in response to falling short of key budget assumptions, particularly in oil production and price benchmarks.
Edun, who spoke during a media briefing in Abuja, provided what he described as a “clear and candid” overview of Nigeria’s economic performance, outlining both progress made and the hurdles still ahead.
“The task ahead is to move from economic stability to better livelihoods for Nigerians—more jobs, higher incomes, and better public services,” he said.
The government, he explained, is now funnelling limited resources towards sectors that have the most direct impact on citizens and the greatest potential to support the administration’s economic growth ambitions.
