By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo
To prevent frequent road accidents at Osogbo’s popular Olaiya Bridge, Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed security agencies to urgently protect the facility from vandals and reckless drivers.
It will be recalled that numerous accidents have occurred at Olaiya Bridge due to reckless drivers who habitually disregard traffic lights in the area.
According to a statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, issued to journalists in Osogbo on Saturday, the directive followed reports of a false alarm alleging deliberate sabotage of the bridge—a rumour interpreted as a potential plan to blame an attack on the government.
Rasheed clarified that there was no human-initiated attack on the bridge, as claimed by the opposition. Instead, a trailer reportedly struck a section of the bridge, as confirmed by the police. He dismissed the allegations of a government-sponsored attack as “mere fake news.”
To prevent the opposition from leveraging the incident for sabotage to implicate the government, Rasheed disclosed that the Governor has instructed security agencies to bolster security around the bridge, protecting it from possible attacks by fifth columnists aiming to blame the government.
“The report available to the state government suggests that elements within the opposition may be planning to tamper with the bridge structure and then blame the government. This is to support their fabricated claim that the state government intends to demolish the bridge.
“Mr Governor has therefore directed service commanders to surveil the bridge and apprehend any fifth columnists engaging in infrastructural terrorism to face the full weight of the law.
“Mr Governor has also reiterated his satisfaction with the ban on heavy-duty trucks from crossing the bridge, as recommended by the state security council. This aligns with practices in other major cities to protect such structures from deterioration or potential collapse due to excessive loading.
“There is no plan to demolish Olaiya Bridge. Our goal is to safeguard it against overburdening and overloading that may lead to structural collapse over time. The bridge is a state asset, and I have a duty to secure and protect it,” the State Governor was quoted as saying.
On the Okefia/LAMECO overhead bridges, the Governor commended the contractor for executing the project in line with global standards, as seen in Europe and North America.
“I inspected the dualisation and overhead bridges privately this week. With opinions from the Nigerian Society of Engineers and experts who have worked on similar flyovers worldwide, I am proud of the quality of work delivered by our local engineers,” he stated.