Senate Summons Fashola Over Condition Of Bailey Bridges

Bailey_bridgeThe Senate, on Wednesday, gave its Committee on Works the go-ahead to invite the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, over the status of Bailey bridges nationwide.

Bailey bridges, made from pre-fabricated metal truss, developed and used during the Second World War, were built in Nigeria during the colonial era and post-Nigerian civil war era.

They served as temporary crossing for human and vehicular movement.

Sponsoring the motion titled: “Recurring Collapse of Bailey Bridges Nationwide”, the Peoples Democratic Party senator representing Enugu East, Gilbert Nnaji, said the bridges have either collapsed or caved in due to pressure and age.

The senator added that the collapse of the bailey bridges nationwide had caused “untold hardship to commuters, motorists and other road users”.

He cited the example of a collapsed bridge across Ebonyi River along Ikem-Neke-Ugwuogo Road at Ikem-Uno in Izi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State.

“The attendant loss of lives and other forms of livelihoods, as well as other forms of economic deprivation and losses are avoidable if proactive steps are taken from time to time to either maintain or to reconstruct such bridges”, said Mr. Nnaji.

Following the adoption of Sen. Nnaji’s motion, the Senate mandated its Committee on Works to invite Mr. Fashola “to brief the Committee on a viable plan of action for the reconstruction of all Bailey bridges nationwide”.

Accordingly, the Committee is further mandated to “undertake an inventory of all Bailey bridges nationwide with particular attention to their year of construction and current status”.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over Wednesday’s plenary, gave the Committee four weeks to report back to the Senate.