Third Mainland Bridge Surveillance Cost ₦2.5 Billion Not ₦40 Billion – Umahi

At the time, the minister said security personnel would monitor footage from the CCTV and enforce speed regulations.

Speaking at the inauguration of the centre on Sunday, Umahi said the current administration met a “very terrible Third Mainland Bridge”.

“When we came on board in 2023, we met a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge, both on the pavement, surface, infrastructure above the water and even infrastructure below the water,” he said.

“The president, therefore, directed total re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the surfaces of the Third Mainland Bridge and changing the expansion joints.

“Lagosians were very happy with the president for that beautiful work, and that work completed and commissioned is still succeeding because of the quality.”

The minister said the full rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge cost a total of N43 billion.

He clarified that the newly inaugurated CCTV surveillance centre is Nigeria’s first of its kind, equipped with 240 solar panels, air-conditioning, inverters, a 300KVA transformer, standby generator, monitoring screens, a surveillance boat, and two Hilux vans cost no more than N2.5 billion

Umahi commended China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which executed the project, for delivering what he described as quality work.

He said the ministry would hand over a surveillance boat and two Hilux vans included in the contract to the police for monitoring activities on the bridge.

“If they need to incorporate other security agencies, they can do that, but the idea of this project is that we have a lay-by on the bridge, so we view everything going on on this bridge,” he said.

The minister expressed concerns over excessive speeding on the bridge and urged motorists to obey traffic laws.

Earlier, Olufemi Dare, federal controller of works in Lagos, also reiterated that the surveillance centre is the first of its kind in the country.

“I doubt if there is any bridge in Nigeria that has what we have deployed here today, where you have CCTV to monitor both the underwater and even the bridge itself,” Dare said.

“We have a boat that has been bought for surveillance of the bridge. There are two Hilux vans, too.

“We have 240 solar panels in this environment, and that is not enough. The whole place is fully air-conditioned. We have 10 inverters inside the building.

“We have the powering units. We have a transformer, a 300 KVA transformer. We have a standby generating plant and monitoring screens.”

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving the project and commended Umahi for ensuring due process in its execution.

“We have about 1,268 solar street lights that are part of this contract,” he said.

“This is the first level of commissioning. We are still going to come back here to do even for the extension of the bridge, which is about to be completed,” he said.

“We pray that very sooner than later, we will come back to do a full-blown commissioning.”