Welcome to Kampe News Blog: Unveiling a Decade Old uncompleted Lagos State Government Bridge Project In Ojo Local Government

Sideview of Ariyo Muwo Bridge

One of the dividends of democracy the world over is the timely provision of quality infrastructure to the populace by public office holders whom the citizenry look up to for projects.

In Nigeria, it’s a different ball game with politicians and various governments in power from the local government, through the state, to the federal level all running governance with little or accountability to their constituents.

A lot has been said about developmental projects in Nigeria and its importance towards the lives of people and communities that should benefit from it.

While a lot of communities in the country have benefitted from developmental projects from governments, there are still communities in Nigeria yet to benefit tangibly from government many years after they have placed their hopes in the political office holders running the affairs of the country.

A good case is Muwo, a community in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state.

In this small sleepy town, there exists a bridge project that was initiated by the past administration of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola meant to bring succor to the peace loving residents of the area.

The project according to a long standing resident of Muwo community Tony Eze was started by the tenure of former governor of Lagos state Raji Fashola, who prior to his election as governor promised the people of Muwo Community during his election campaign that if voted into office as governor, a bridge will be built by his administration for the community.

Top View of Muwo Bridge

Continuing his narration, Eze disclosed that Fashola kept his word and during his first year in office awarded the contract of building a bridge measuring about 1.5 kilometers or less to Murino engineering firm.

The project started in earnest and the people of Muwo were glad that finally a project that could be termed as the biggest infrastructural development after electricity and health was being given to them by a caring government but little did they know that they would have to wait forever to see the completion of the project.

In its eleventh year now, the bridge project is just past half way to completion with the community already using an uncompleted bridge that could pose any measure of danger to its users.

A better insight on how the bridge came into being was also given to KampeNews Blog by a resident Edun Gbadebo who revealed that he has been living in Muwo for over thirty years.

Now in his mid-fifties and an elder,Gbadebo disclosed that he has been part and parcel of most decisions within the community and was around when candidate Fashola before he became governor Fashola came to Muwo to campaign to be elected as governor of Lagos state and during his first year in office started the bridge project for the community.

Gbadebo further revealed that he and other members of d community were surprised that a project which should have been delivered at most within the first four years of Fashola’s administration later dragged into his second tenure and after serving as governor for two terms of eight years.

Fashola’s administration could not complete the bridge project that was meant to put smiles on the community that endured so much suffering and death which people encountered while trying to cross a big swamp that divides Muwo community from IRA another close by community.

Muwo Bridge laden with metal containers and Heavy Duty Vehicles

On the swamp that had to give way for the bridge,Gbadebo also said that people from Muwo had to swim through the swamp to connect to their destinations when they could not afford the fares to board canoe that would have taken them across the swamp.

Those who never used boat or canoe to cross the swamp to IRA used the longer route of exiting Muwo from Tedi that would now terminate at Abule Oshun Gbadebo narrated.

The need to have a permanent connection brought about the construction of a wooden foot bridge which was pioneered by some people and myself Gbadebo disclosed but before we built the wooden bridge,we had to cut mangrove trees and lay them on a track we created for people to walk on and connect into IRA community ,this was done only during the dry season but the wooden bridge was agreed to be a much better solution to the problems of Muwo people who could not wait for dry season to come before they can walk safely across the swamp.

Remembering the usefulness of the wooden foot bridge, Gbadebo said Muwo people were happy that finally they could walk comfortably across the swamp into Ira to continue their journey to their various destinations and people paid five naira back then to use the wooden foot bridge some fifteen to seventeen years ago.

As the youth leader some twenty years ago Gbadebo said a lot community initiative under his watch was done to ensure people from Muwo community had a makeshift contraption that would serve as a bridge and at a time they had to pour sand on a track already laid with mangrove sticks and wood so as to have something good for the community to walk on but when it wasn’t working, they resorted back to the wooden foot bridge and in fact two of such wooden bridges were in built until Fashola came with his modern bridge project for the community.

Sand Trucks leaving Muwo on the bridge

Gbadebo disclosed that it also took the death of two Ibo policemen who were brothers and were on their way home from a social meeting for things to start working.

Gbadebo revealed that the two Ibo men while using the wooden foot bridge in the night, fell into the swamp and the water swept them into the big river, their bodies were recovered the next day and deposited at the mortuary in Navy hospital Navy Town.

The death of these two policemen according to Gbadebo angered the community and a complaint was lodged at the office of the then chairman Akin Aina aka Solo, who built two big culverts that now divided the deep swamp and the center of it was sand filled and dry ground became possible for people to walk through.

Gbadebo revealed that further discussions between himself,Ade Agbo the then community development secretary, a state house of assembly member Hon Harmony went to Governor Fashola to remind him of his electoral promise to the community which he did initiate but problems on the contractor’s inability to complete the bridge project caused the stagnation that has resulted in what people are seeing today.

Gbadebo disclosed that whenever money was released to the contractor, the firm always failed to do the right thing thus setting the project work back.

Gbadebo stated that unconfirmed stories went around the community some years back that one of the main reasons why the bridge project was delayed was because the first contractor Murino which got the job to build the bridge collect his mobilization fee from the government, started the project later used part of the funds to engage in politics in his country and when his political adventure failed, the lack of funds to continue the project sounded the death knell on the bridge work.

He further disclosed stories went around on the closeness of the first contractor’s to those at the seat of power and how a former governor of Lagos state was seen as a friend to the contractor thus making the contractor go unpunished after mismanaging funds meant for the project.

He also stated that from the inception of the project till now two contractors have handled the construction of the bridge with Murino Engineering being the first company to be awarded the contract .

Lopek being the second firm to handle the job got the contract to continue work on the bridge and work commenced again sometime last year until early this year when we noticed that work has stopped suddenly again Gbadebo explained.

Gbadebo urged the leaders and people of Muwo community to speak out in one voice to the government so that this bridge project can be completed once and for all and not fall for crumbs from the government anytime there is an election.

A visit by KampeNews Blog revealed that work indeed has stopped on the project with heavy duty trucks, caterpillars and the likes packed either at the Ira community end of the bridge or on top of the bridge.

People and heavy duty trucks ferrying sand now use the bridge in its incomplete state, not minding if the bridge pose a security risk to their lives.

Edun Gbadebo

Caterpillar Truck parked on the bridge

People living within Muwo community have often termed the bridge project a jinx project, reasons being that there has always been one reason or the other why something always happen that set work on the bridge back.

The latest being the death of the owner of Lopek Engineering who passed on in February 2017.

A resident Preye Benson told KampeNews Blog that gossip within the community has it that the man who owns Lopek Construction company handling the bridge project died early this year.

“ The owner of Lopek Construction Company has passed on and right now, we are not sure if work will commence on this bridge any time soon Mr Benson told us”

KampeNews Blog scooped online through google search that the completion of Ariyo, Ira-MuwoBridge in Ojo was awarded to Lopek Engineering and Construction Limited at N1.288 billion.

Lopek Engineering was commissioned to continue work on the bridge when the initial engineers Murino construction could not complete the bridge eight years after it started work on the project.

And with the death of the owner of lopek Construction, work on the bridge in the last six month has stopped completely Mr Benson disclosed.

No one knows for sure what fate has in store for the completion date of this bridge project that is set to enter its twelfth year come 2018.

On the Government side of the story, messages sent by KampeNews Blog to the line of the Commissioner for Information Lagos state, Steve Ayorinde were not replied and calls also made to his line were not picked as at the time of publishing this report.