The Lagos State government has announced plans to strictly enforce a “no truck” policy after a gas truck explosion under the Otedola Bridge on Tuesday night.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, made this known on Thursday during a visit to the accident scene, where he assessed the situation with his team.
Osiyemi revealed that the truck involved in the explosion had violated Lagos State law by ignoring a “no truck allowed” sign on the road.
“There’s a road sign right there that says ‘no truck allowed’. For the truck to be on this axis, it has clearly broken the law of Lagos State,” he said.
He added that the Ministry of Transportation would take action to prevent similar incidents by installing barriers to stop trucks from using restricted routes.
“We are going to ensure that we enforce that sign, maybe by putting barriers so that such trucks cannot ply this road. The road is not even suitable for these types of heavy vehicles,” he stated.
The commissioner blamed the accident on poor truck maintenance, pointing out that many truck owners fail to check their vehicles properly.
To tackle this, Osiyemi said the state government would work with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to inspect trucks and confirm they are roadworthy.
“There’s ongoing collaboration to inspect these trucks. If they are not roadworthy, they will be confiscated,” he said.
Osiyemi also mentioned that cracks were noticed on Otedola Bridge during the inspection, and the Ministry of Environment had been informed to address the issue, especially with the rainy season approaching.
“We saw some cracks, not just on the bridge but also in the drainage system. The Ministry of Environment will act quickly, and the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure will work with the Federal Ministry of Works to conduct an integrity test on the bridge,” he explained.
According to him, the integrity test should be completed by the end of the week to confirm the bridge’s safety for motorists.
The government assured residents that it would take all necessary steps to prevent such accidents in the future.
