Bridges are receiving renewed attention as the Federal Government says it has reconstructed more than 10 bridges in each state over the past three years and completed over 260 emergency road projects nationwide.
The Federal Government has reconstructed more than 10 bridges in each state of the federation over the past three years as part of its nationwide infrastructure intervention programme.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, disclosed this on Sunday, August 9, 2026, during a stakeholder engagement and the flag-off of road projects in Lagos.
Umahi also revealed that the Federal Government had completed more than 260 emergency road rehabilitation projects across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory at a cost exceeding ₦250 billion.
According to the minister, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also opened its ongoing projects to scrutiny by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as part of efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in public infrastructure delivery.
Umahi said the ICPC had been invited to inspect procurement processes and project execution and issue queries where necessary, while the Federal Government had also written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to undertake similar oversight.
He said the process was intended to ensure that shortcomings were identified and corrected while projects were being implemented.
The minister also provided an update on the ongoing remedial works on the Eko Bridge in Lagos, describing the affected section as being in a serious condition.
He explained that completely shutting down the affected section would have caused severe disruption to traffic and economic activities in Lagos, prompting the government to close only part of the carriageway while monitoring the structural crack.
Umahi said the crack had not increased and that the immediate remedial intervention would involve reinstalling about seven piles, bypassing the affected section of the pile cap and installing a new pile cap.
He said the remedial work was expected to provide another 15 to 20 years of service, while a permanent reconstruction solution was being designed in consultation with structural engineers and external experts.
The permanent solution, according to the minister, would require jacking up the affected spans, demolishing damaged pile caps and piers, installing new structural components and restoring the bridge spans.
Umahi also spoke on the newly inaugurated 40-member guard team deployed to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
He said the guards were expected to tackle activities that could undermine the safety and functionality of the highway, including hawking, loitering, commercial motorcycle operations and refuse dumping.
The minister further called on the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to play a stronger role in protecting strategic infrastructure and preventing illegal parking and other forms of abuse on federal highways.
He stressed that the protection of strategic infrastructure should remain a key responsibility of the relevant security agencies.
The Federal Government has continued to position road and bridge rehabilitation as a major component of its infrastructure agenda, with the Ministry of Works also working with anti-corruption agencies to monitor project implementation and promote accountability. The ICPC has separately confirmed that it tracks public projects as part of its mandate to promote transparency and prevent corruption in project execution.
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