Federal Government Inaugurates ₦40bn CCTV Control Centre For Third Mainland Bridge

The Federal Government has inaugurated a ₦40 billion Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Control Centre for the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, marking a major boost to surveillance and safety on one of Nigeria’s busiest transport corridors.

A report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday stated that the facility was constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) as part of the comprehensive rehabilitation of the bridge.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited the Third Mainland Bridge and other key Lagos bridges in a deplorable condition.

“When we came on board in 2023, we met a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge, in terms of pavement, surface infrastructure above the water and even structures below the water,” Umahi said.

He explained that President Tinubu consequently directed a total re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge, including the replacement of its expansion joints.

“Lagosians were very happy with the President for that beautiful work, and that project, which has been completed and commissioned, is still succeeding because of the quality,” he added.

The minister commended CCECC for the successful delivery of the project and disclosed that a surveillance boat and two Hilux vans, procured under the contract, would be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for monitoring activities on the bridge.

“If they need to incorporate other security agencies, they can do that. The idea of this project is that we have a lay-by on the bridge, so we can view everything going on there,” Umahi said.

He also expressed concern over excessive speeding by motorists on the bridge and urged road users to obey traffic rules and regulations.

Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Olufemi Dare, described the CCTV centre as the first of its kind in Nigeria.

“I doubt if there is any bridge in Nigeria that has what we have deployed here today — CCTV cameras to monitor both underwater activities and the bridge structure itself,” Dare said.

According to him, the facility was equipped with a surveillance boat, two Hilux vans, 240 solar panels, 10 inverters, a 300 KVA transformer, a standby generating plant, fully air-conditioned control rooms and multiple monitoring screens.

He added that the project also includes about 1,268 solar-powered streetlights and a borehole to support operations at the centre.

Dare expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for approving the project and to the Minister of Works for ensuring that due process was followed in its execution.

He disclosed that the total contract sum stood at ₦40.17 billion, out of which the Federal Government had so far paid ₦36 billion to the contractor.

“This is the first level of commissioning. We will still return for the extension of the bridge, which is nearing completion. Very soon, we hope to come back for a full-blown commissioning,” he said.