* Under-bridge squatters, traders get 48 hrs quit notice
The Lagos State government, on Wednesday, shut Eko Bridge following the fire incident that occurred around the Apongbon axis of the bridge in the morning hours.
The fire reportedly destroyed goods worth several millions of naira.
Consequently, motorists are being diverted to alternative routes.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, explained that integrity assessment would be carried out to ascertain the level of damage caused by the fire, to determine adequate rehabilitation work.
Oladeinde advised motorists heading towards Apongbon from Surulere and its environs to use Ijora/Apapa route or Leventis/UBA Roundabout to connect Marina and their desired destinations.
Alternately, he said, motorists may use Ebute Ero to link Inner Marina and Third Mainland Bridge to continue their journeys, affirming that officers of the State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are lined up along the alternative routes, to help minimize inconveniences.
He expressed empathy with owners of shops razed down during the inferno, assuring that the government is fully committed to ensuring safety of the commuting public within the metropolis.
Meanwhile, the government has given all the squatters living or trading under bridges across Lagos State seven days to leave, or face forceful eviction.
The director of Highways, Bridges and Designs at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr Oluropo Oyetade, who represented the Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola during the inspection of the damage caused the bridge by the fire, said anyone who fails to leave by March 31 would be arrested and made to pay for the eviction.
Oyetade said the eviction of all illegal occupants under bridges across Lagos State would be done in collaboration with Lagos State government.
He revealed that there was discussion to eject those trading and living under bridges before the fire accident.
But the Lagos State government declared that those who run shops under Eko Bridge have only 48 hours to vacate the area.
“The issue of fire outbreak under the Eko Bridge at Oke Arin may become endemic if adequate steps are not taken to forestall future occurrence due to negligence and non-adherence to safety protocols by traders, leaders of the market associations and CDAs after several engagements on the need to take issues of safety seriously,” Special Adviser to the governor on Central Business Districts, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde, said.
Oyerinde decried the illegal activities of traders who store items beneath the bridge and engage in other business transactions, warning that anyone caught flouting the directive to stay clear of underneath the bridge will be arrested and prosecuted.
Fire fighters on duty
Engineers on inspection duty