The Federal Government has reduced the cost of fixing the Iddo Bridge in Lagos from N27 billion to N17 billion after negotiations with construction company Julius Berger.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the new figure during an inspection of the bridge on Friday. He said, “Julius Berger quoted, I think, N27 billion or thereabout, but after much negotiation and discussion, we now arrived at N17 billion.”
Umahi praised the new management of Julius Berger for their cooperation and called them a “born-again Berger.” He also stressed that all contractors must follow the government’s spending standards.
The minister said the damage to the bridge was worse than expected. What was meant to be a simple repair has now turned into a major project. He blamed years of neglect and illegal activities under the bridge for the destruction.
According to him, fire caused by people living under the bridge destroyed three spans. “They brought in chemicals, built block walls and set up homes. Then, they set up fire that burnt the bridge and damaged three spans. Now we are going to fix the bridge completely,” he said.
Umahi also said the height under the bridge had been reduced to 4.5 metres because of illegal structures and repeated hits from trucks. He said the new plan is to increase the clearance to 5.6 metres.
On the issue of displaced persons, Umahi said no one would be allowed to return under the bridge. “Nobody will stay under Iddo Bridge again as long as I remain the Minister of Works. The lives of the people are more important,” he added.
He warned that the government would not allow further abuse of public infrastructure.
