The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that fire fighters battled frantically to place out the inferno below the Apongbon Bridge on Wednesday morning.
Oyetade introduced the ultimatum from the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to illegal occupants of the bridges in Lagos to vacate earlier than March 31 or face forceful eviction and sanctions.
“I was about to enter a meeting concerning the Third Mainland Bridge earlier than I used to be hurriedly ordered by the Honourable Minister to come here to provide his directive and mandate that he has given to me, to announce that the realm (Apongbon Bridge fire) must be cordoned off, which we’ve carried out.
“And that the inspection of the defects attributable to this inferno shall be taken immediately the place cools down.
”However the most important that I need to deliver here is that, all of the occupants underneath our bridges notably in Lagos, we’re giving them seven days to pack away.
“Seven days counting from right now. By 31st of March, the duty power will swing into motion and we’ll impound all recalcitrant parts that we find below the bridges.
“They shall be forcefully evicted. Not only that, they are going to be made to pay
for any gadgets we’ve to take away.
“Let me repeat and make myself clear, all occupants below our bridges, we’ve over 20 bridges in Lagos, ought to transfer earlier than thirty first of March,” he mentioned.
He warned {that a} task force would embark on enforcement of restoration of the Right of Way (RoW) on all of the 20 bridges in Lagos as from March 31.
Oyetade mentioned {that a} contract was already on for the rehabilitation of the Apongbon Bridge, which repairs had not been concluded solely for a similar bridge to be gutted by fireplace.
He described the injury to Apongbon Bridge as an avoidable incident.
Based on him, the government can’t proceed to construct and allow irresponsible perspective of Nigerians to damage such infrastructure constructed with huge sources.
The director mentioned that every one Federal Controllers of Works had been directed to clear encroachers on all bridges nationwide, whereas lamenting related fireplace incidences to bridges in Ajaokuta and Kano State recently.
He additionally condemned the actions of unlawful sand dredgers that eliminated the soil below the Third Mainland Bridge, to jeopardise the protection of the infrastructure.
Oyetade mentioned that three corporations had been arrested in reference to this improvement and could be prosecuted.
The director mentioned he was to carry a gathering with the Nationwide Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) in Abuja to debate issues of regulation of the sand dredgers, however needed to run down to Lagos to attend to the Apongbon Bridge fireplace.
He instructed journalists that the Apongbon fireplace was huge and that visitors structure was being drawn up between his engineers and the Lagos State officers on very best diversion choices.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Frederick Oladeinde, mentioned his ministry would subject a launch on diversion alternate options to the general public after consultations by assessing and exploring the most effective choices with regard to diversion alternate options.
Oladeinde mentioned that the Apongbon Bridge fireplace would negatively impression visitors, including {that a} mixed staff of visitors regulatory businesses have been on floor to handle a visitors structure to be drawn to cut back the hardship on street customers.
Earlier, the Lagos State Commissioner for Particular Duties, Mr Omotayo Bamgbose-Martins, Particular Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, shared methods to be adopted in collaboration with different businesses.
The Commissioners of the Lagos State Ministries of Setting; Bodily Planning and City Growth, in addition to Heads of assorted Lagos security regulatory and emergency administration businesses, additionally took turns to advise the general public and announce security, well being and visitors measures.
The Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Security (FRSC), Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, additionally introduced collaborative visitors administration plans.
