Enough of Horror on the Bloody Otedola Bridge in Lagos
By Moshood Isamotu
Sir Michael Otedola ruled Lagos State as its ninth Governor between 1992 and 1993. His brief statesmanship was considered momentous enough to have a popular bridge called Otedola Bridge named after him. The former Governor’s reign now seems to be more remembered by the Bridge than whatever achievements his administration made. However, the bridge is presently known more for being a black spot, short of calling it a killing field for commuters through auto crashes that occur there regularly. Otedola Bridge has cut short many lives in contrast to the quiet life of Baba Oteola, nicknamed Baba Go Slow as a Governor then.
Like other big cities, Lagos has many ugly spots, but when it comes to danger zones, no spot beats Otedola Bridge’s notoriety. Located a few meters from the Lagos end of the boundary between Lagos and Ogun States on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Bridge has recorded several disasters and fatalities that have made the ground around it blood-soaked.
Approaching Otedola Bridge is enough to make one develop what psychologists call panic disorder or irrational terror. Some indeed develop a paralyzing phobia and crippling fear whenever they have to be on the bridge. Don’t blame them. Records of accidents and horror on that spot are alarming. That is why commuters on that Bridge don’t stop praying until they have crossed the Zone. Though saying prayers is good while on the road, this has not helped much, and that is why accidents keep re-occurring there, recording fatality at each strike. Being a busy road, accidents on the Bridge always involve multiple vehicles and casualties. It has become a risky adventure commuting on the Bridge and many do that daily out of necessity.
For decades, the spot of about 50 meters has been painted regularly with the blood of the young and old. It has nothing to do with the work of the demons. It is simply a consequence of the road conditions, engineering defects, and environmental factors in addition to the carelessness of some drivers. The inherent hazards on that stretch include cliffs, sharp curves, heavy traffic, and poor road designs. All these make it difficult for tanker drivers especially to maneuver. If the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) were to keep records of deaths that occur on Nigerian bridges, Otedola Bridge would be at the top.
In early March, a young couple, a banker with Zenith Bank, Chiedozie Okoye, and his wife of two weeks, Joan Chidalu, an America-based nurse, became the latest victims as they perished in the inferno that engulfed the area when a trailer fell, characteristics of the accidents on that spot.
On January 7 of this year, an accident occurred on the same Bridge with a causality. A series of accidents had continued to occur on the spot but that of June 28, 2018, was more horrific. Twelve persons were roasted in the fire that erupted when a petrol tanker fell and exploded that sad Thursday evening, in addition to 54 vehicles that were burnt.
Otedola Bridge now occupies a space among the world’s list of bridges with records of regular disasters like George Washington Bridge (New York City, USA), Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, USA), Tsing Ma Bridge (Hong Kong), Seohae Bridge (South Korea) and Rio-Niteroi Bridge (Brazil), among others.
Lagos State seems to have only mastered the response template of sending rescue missions each time a disaster strikes there. The reactive effort is limited to putting out fires and managing traffic. The state seems not to know what to do to prevent accidents on that spot. The emphasis has been on rescuing and not prevention. This is grossly unsatisfactory and indefensible. Right, the road belongs to the Federal government, but to say that Lagos is not doing enough is an understatement as the first primary stakeholder. The government may be busy with many other public interest projects, but what is more important than the safety of lives? Why can’t Lagos move to repair the section and claim a refund later from the federal government as it has done on several federal projects done in the state? The efforts of the state government have not measured up on this death tarp.
Coordination of efforts by the Federal and Lagos governments is required on the Bridge. It is expected that the Federal Ministry of Works, as the owner, should take concrete actions to effect corrections on the defective engineering design on that section and deal with other sundry causes of regular crashes. But characteristic of slow institutional response to serious matters, calamities on the Bridge seem not alarming enough to warrant an emergency response from appropriate authorities. Maybe they are waiting for a king to die on the Bridge before taking action.
One would have also thought that the ongoing expansion reconstruction on the Expressway by Julius Berger should be used to correct whatever defects exist on that section of the road. A remedial approach is urgently needed like it was done for the Millau Viaduct Bridge (France), Tacoma-style retrofit (Canada), Tyne Bridge (UK), Story Bridge (Australia), and even in Maputo-Katembe Bridge (Mozambique) in 2019. The Ojo end of the Lagos – Ibadan
Expressway was plagued with similar experiences of recurring road accidents, but after the construction work and the erection of a massive roundabout at the site of the frequent fatal accidents by the government, the accidents gradually obliterated. It is hopeful that if the same responsive action would be taken towards the situation at Otedola Bridge, especially along the steep spots in addition to other safety measures, sanity would return to the site.
There has also not been enough advocacy from stakeholders expected to show more interest on the road. The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Federal Road Safety Commission, and civil society organizations have not shown enough interest in the calamity taking place on the Bridge by constantly drawing the attention of the authorities to it. A convocation of stakeholders on this very important artery road that connects the nation’s commercial centre to the rest of the country is very important.
The Nigerian media also do not see the disasters on the Otedola Bridge beyond the breaking news. The havoc on that Bridge qualifies it to be a development news that should constantly be in the media’s searchlight until concerted and concrete action is taken. The agenda-setting role of the media in this hot zone is required. Stakeholders have in the past, identified several causes of accidents on Otedola Bridge.
According to safety experts, the main causes include the overloading of tankers, speeding, poor road design, lack of enforcement, and inadequate maintenance. To address these issues, stakeholders recommended measures for the reconstruction of the bridge and the implementation of weighbridges to prevent overloaded trucks from using the bridge, among others.
A Road Safety Expert and Executive Director of Safety Beyond Borders, Adenusi Patrick, attributed the reoccurring incidents to include traffic, uneasy movement, and overload while also recommending the need for reconstruction in the area.“Looking at the capacity of the vehicles that are used, most of the trucks are overloaded; therefore, when climbing a hill, there will be a problem. Most trucks are overloaded. Descending the slope is not an issue for them but ascending is a challenge. It happens more often when there is traffic on the road. The load that the tractor is pulling is heavier than the truck,” he explained.
On the construction solution, he said, “The government should reconstruct by reducing the depth of the bridge. The depth of the valley on the road can be reduced. I have shared this with Julius Berger and the Lagos State Government.”Health, Safety and Environment Expert, Segun Bakare, blamed the reoccurrence of accidents to poor implementation and lack of effective actions by regulatory agencies and the government.
“We should go back to the previous actions that were taken in alliance with different regulatory bodies, including NUPENG, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), Lagos Safety Council, among others, where some action points were taken. We should review the effectiveness of the action and find out how many of them have been implemented,” he said.
Incidentally, former Governor Sir Michael Otedola, who died in 2014, was the father of Mr. FemI Otedola, a successful businessman and great philanthropist. But Mr. Femi Otedola’s philanthropian Google has yet to see the volume of deaths that have taken place on a Bridge named after his father as a concern. A moral obligation is thus placed on the young Otedola to intervene on the state of that Bridge as he has done on projects in which his family has no affiliation.
Stopping death on Otedola Bridge should be a project for all. So, if you need to pass through Otedola Bridge, don’t stop praying until you have crossed the Rubicon.
Moshood Isamotu is a Lagos-based public affairs commentator
