The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on Wednesday decried the vandalism of facilities, including lighting cables on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The Head of the Electrical Unit of FERMA, Mr Julius Oladimeji, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that vandals had removed some cables, destroying 20 electric poles on the landmark bridge.
Oladimeji said the vandals had carried out the act, in spite of the constant security surveillance mounted on the bridge
“We discovered that the hoodlums vandalised our cables which we are now working to replace.
“I have written and I am waiting for approval before we can replace the cables.
“We have discovered that no fewer than 50 metres of the cables have been vandalised but they will be fixed any moment from now.
Oladimeji who commended security operatives for their constant surveillance on the bridge, however, urged them to do whatever they could to catch the vandals.
He said that FERMA had been carrying out routine check to replace bulbs destroyed because of the impact of heavy traffic on the bridge.
“At times, if the cables are not vandalised, there will be dead bulbs caused by constant vibration on the bridge,’’ he added.
Oladimeji said that all the ducts inside the bridge where electric cables passed through had been rehabilitated.
He said that FERMA’s engineers were always monitoring developments on the bridge to ensure regular supply of power on the bridge.
Oladimeji, however, lamented the high cost of providing power on the bridge with generators, due to irregular power supply from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
“We would have preferred using PHCN-generated power instead of diesel because of the high cost,” he said, noting that the option of using solar energy would be decided by the agency’s management.
He said that FERMA had been alive to its responsibility of ensuring that street lights functioned in Lagos.
Oladimeji disclosed the Lagos State Government had applied to FERMA for permission to replace old fittings on the Oworonshoki-Gbagada Expressway and that work had since commenced.
“If you go back there, the Lagos State Government is already fixing the new ones and in no time there will be light there,” he said.
He said that FERMA had deployed caravans to fix street lights on federal highways in parts of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub.