FG to rebuild collapse bridge

Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing has said that the Federal Government will rebuild a concrete bridge over the Wase Waters which recently collapsed in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, as a replacement for the recently collapsed Wase Bridge in the State.

Fashola, said this on Tuesday, in a statement signed by Mrs Bode Akinola, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations Unit. Fashola made the promise when he received the Plateau State Gov. Simon Lalong, in his office in Abuja.

He assured the governor that the federal government would provide a short term relief to facilitate movement among the communities disconnected, as a result of the collapse. The Minister said that the temporary relief would be undertaken by the Federal Controller of Works in the state in collaboration with the state government and Chairman of Wase Local Government.

He added that the new concrete bridge would be a long term solution to the perennial problem, which the bridge had suffered as a result of heavy rainfall. Fashola explained that the design of the bridge would take his ministry’s design team, eight weeks to complete.

He, however, said that the final implementation of the concrete bridge plan would depend on the availability of funds. Meanwhile, the Minister, Fashola commiserated with the government and people of Plateau State, over the collapse of the bridge, which was a result of a heavy downpour.

He also commended the governor for his quick response to the natural disaster, noting that the governor had put a call to him, as soon as the incident occurred, which enabled him to schedule the meeting.

“Our intention is to do a design with a new concrete bridge across the waterways and that will take us about eight weeks going by the design team of the ministry,” he said.

In his response, Gov. Lalong thanked the minister for scheduling the meeting within a short notice and assembling the relevant departments with the view to finding short and long term solutions to the problem.

Governor Lalong said he was compelled to call the attention of the minister immediately the bridge collapsed, due to the extent of damage to the bridge.

“Due to the level of damage on the bridge and the importance of the bridge to the State, I quickly put a call to the Minister to which he responded by calling for this meeting.

“I thank him for the timeline given in addressing the issue” the governor said.

Ayooluwa Joshua