The Lagos State Authorities spoke on the restore of a harmful open manhole alongside the Ikeja axis resulting in the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport, lower than 24 hours after public outcry amplified by a viral video.
Talking on the website on Sunday, the Particular Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, stated the federal government mobilised its companies in a single day to handle the hazard.
“First, I wish to thank the great Samaritan who raised the alarm. Instantly it was introduced up once more, we swung into motion yesterday evening. The Public Works Company, the drainage crew, and the Basic Supervisor have all been right here, and as you possibly can see, work is in progress,” he stated.
Mr Daramola, who was accompanied by the Basic Supervisor of the Lagos State Public Works Company (LSPWC), Tokunbo Ajanaku, and the Director of Drainage, Mahmood Adegbite, warned towards vandalism and abuse of street infrastructure.
“We’ve such challenges throughout, and we’re rising to the event. However it’s essential to emphasize that street abuse is a grave offence. We’ve seen comparable vandalisation on the Ogudu bridge and now on the Ogudu hyperlink bridge. We’ll scale up our response, however residents should additionally ‘see one thing, say one thing’,” he added.
The restore adopted civic motion by broadcast journalist Deji Badmus who on Saturday erected a billboard contained in the open manhole to attract the governor’s consideration.
In a viral video, Mr Badmus described the hazard as lethal and stated he had narrowly escaped an accident on the website.
“That manhole has been open for about three months. I nearly had an accident right here, and simply days in the past, there was a horrible crash. A number of vehicles have already run into it. It’s surprising that this was left like this on a street that connects each the worldwide and native airports,” he stated.
On Sunday, Mr Badmus posted an replace exhibiting officers overlaying the manhole.
“Lower than 24 hours after we put out that signal, the Lagos State Authorities has deployed its officers to cowl the manhole. That is the sort of instant response we anticipate. However I hope they can even repair the numerous different open manholes throughout town,” he stated.
PREMIUM TIMES printed a report highlighting Mr Badmus’ motion and the dangers the open manhole posed to motorists.
The incident has renewed give attention to the theft of manhole covers throughout Lagos. In January, the state Home of Meeting urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to implement legal guidelines towards scavengers stealing covers, describing the apply as a serious menace to public security.
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Lawmakers additionally known as for stricter enforcement and whistle-blowing mechanisms.
The Lagos Metropolitan Space Transport Authority (LAMATA) has since introduced handled picket covers at Bus Fast Transit (BRT) laybys to discourage theft, noting that the picket alternate options haven’t any scrap worth.
Regardless of these measures, vandalism of public infrastructure stays widespread in Lagos and throughout Nigeria, affecting roads, bridges, pipelines, energy installations, and telecoms amenities.
