The Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari in a latest statement on Wednesday, gave traders and other illegal occupants under over 20 bridges in Lagos a final ultimatum to vacate before March 31 or face forceful eviction.
The ultimatum was given by the Director, Highways, Bridges and Design, Mr Oluropo Oyetade, during an emergency meeting between the Federal Ministry of Works delegation and Lagos State Government officials to review the Apongbon Bridge fire on Wednesday.
The reports via the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that firefighters battled frantically to put out the inferno under the Apongbon Bridge on Wednesday morning.
Oyetade announced the ultimatum from the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to illegal occupants of the bridges in Lagos to vacate before March 31 or face forceful eviction and sanctions.
“I was about to enter a meeting concerning the Third Mainland Bridge before I was hurriedly ordered by the Honourable Minister to come here to give his directive and mandate that he has given to me, to announce that the area (Apongbon Bridge fire) should be cordoned off, which we have done.
“And that the inspection of the defects caused by this inferno shall be taken immediately the place cools down.
”But the most important directive that I must deliver here is that, all the occupants under our bridges particularly in Lagos, we are giving them seven days to pack away.
“Seven days counting from today. By 31st of March, the task force will swing into action and we will impound all recalcitrant elements that we find under the bridges.
“They shall be forcefully evicted. Not only that, they will be made to pay
for any items we have to remove.
“Let me repeat and make myself clear, all occupants under our bridges, we have over 20 bridges in Lagos, should move before 31st of March,” he said.
He warned that a task force would embark on enforcement of recovery of the Right of Way (RoW) on all the 20 bridges in Lagos as from March 31.
Oyetade added that a contract was already on for the rehabilitation of the Apongbon Bridge, which repairs had not been concluded only for the same bridge to be gutted by fire.
He told journalists that the Apongbon fire was massive and that traffic architecture was being drawn up between his engineers and the Lagos State officials on the best possible diversion options.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Frederick Oladeinde, said his ministry would issue a release on diversion alternatives to the public after consultations by assessing and exploring the best options concerning diversion alternatives.