Mbah Calls for New Maintenance Model as  Bridge Collapses in Enugu

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

Governor of Enugu,Peter Mbah, asked the federal government to introduce new road maintenance models that would guarantee better condition and longevity of Nigerian roads, regretting that the current model had failed abysmally.

Mbah stated this yesterday when he  visited the ever-busy bridge located at the New Artisan Market and the NNPC Mega Station along the Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway  which collapsed has collapsed.

The collapse might not be unconnected to the weakness of some of the materials holding the bridge which has existed for years. Being the major bridge along the expressway, the Artisan Bridge sees hundreds of vehicles on a daily basis, including those travelling from Northern Nigeria down to the East and the South-south.

Fielding questions from newsmen after theinspection of the scene of the disaster, Mbah urged the federal government to consider a concession of all the federal roads in each state to the state governments for proper maintenance in conjunction with the private sector.

While thanking God that no life was lost despite the magnitude of the incident, he said that the question should be whether the current model of federal road maintenance is working or not.

He said: “Today, we are here witnessing a tragedy that has just occurred, “he said. “We are fortunate enough that no life was lost, but this could have been prevented entirely. So, the people can no longer ply this route because of this tragedy. This shows clearly that we do not have a sound federal road maintenance model.”

Meanwhile, the  Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state, Gerald Otiji, has advised commuters to use Nza Street through New Haven or ply Ogui Road and Abakaliki Road to their various destinations, while the authorities come up with measures for immediate repair of the failed section of the bridge.

According to eyewitness accounts, the bridge which collapsed yesterday morning did not result in any casualties as artisans and residents were only starting to troop out for the day’s business.

However, one of the pictures from the collapsed bridge shows a lorry- with its face down- believed to have been around the bridge when the incident occurred was affected. Eyewitnesses say the driver was not hurt.

With the incidence, commuters who normally ply through the bridge, including those travelling from the Northern part of the country are having to seek alternative routes.

This is even as security operatives and officers of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have since been drafted to the scene to assist road users plying the alternative routes.