The Lagos State Government has announced plans to enforce a strict “no truck” policy in the state, particularly around the Otedola Bridge area.
This decision follows a devastating gas truck explosion that occurred under the bridge on Tuesday night.
The government aims to prevent similar incidents and ensure public safety. The policy will restrict truck movements in the area, reducing the risk of accidents and explosions.
The government will work with stakeholders to implement the policy and provide alternative routes for trucks, minimizing disruptions to logistics and commerce.
Commissioner for Transportation, Hon. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, stated this on Thursday after he led a team from the ministry to the accident scene to assess the situation.
Osiyemi noted that the truck had violated Lagos State law by ignoring a “no truck allowed” sign on the road, stressing that the Ministry of Transportation would enforce the policy to prevent similar accidents.
He said: “We came here to do an assessment of the situation of what happened two days ago. We’ve sent an initial team, but we had to come ourselves to confirm the situation and also see what actually went wrong.
“But what we’ve been able to at least see immediately is the fact that, one, there’s a road sign right there that says ‘no truck allowed’. And for the truck to be on this axis, evidently it’s violated the law of Lagos State.
“As the Ministry of Transportation, I’m going to take steps to ensure that we enforce that sign, maybe by way of barrier and not allowing such trucks to ply this kind of road. When you look at the road, it’s quite undulated, and it’s not even motorable for those kinds of trucks. So the whole essence is one, assess what’s on the ground; two, to be able to bring up things that would avert such situations.
Regarding the cracks on Otedola Bridge, the commissioner announced that an integrity test will be conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure the bridge’s safety for motorists.
He also observed cracks in the drainage system, assuring that he would escalate the issue to the Ministry of Environment for prompt attention, given the approaching rainy season.
“Typically when we do this kind of assessment, we don’t limit it to the Ministry of Transportation alone. We also did observe a little crack, not just the bridge but some other cracks in the drainage system. Immediately we’re going to escalate to the Ministry of Environment for them to do the needful because we also know that the rainy period is coming and they need to quickly move in, and I’m sure that will be sorted out” .
