THE Senate yesterday invited the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, over recurring cases of collapse of bridges in parts of the country.
The upper chamber wanted Fashola to brief its Committee on Works on viable plan of action for the reconstruction of all Bailey bridges.
This followed the adoption of a motion on “Recurring collapse of Bailey bridges nationwide” sponsored by Senator Gilbert Nnaji (Enugu East).
After the adoption of the motion, the Senate mandated its Committee on Works to undertake an inventory of all Bailey bridges with particular attention to their years of construction and current status.
It called on the Federal Roads Maintenance Authority (FERMA) to urgently re-construct the collapsed Bailey bridges across Ebenyi River at Ikem in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State as well as other collapsed Bailey bridges in the country.
Nnaji, in his lead debate, noted that Bailey bridges, developed and used during the Second World War, were built in Nigeria during the pre-independent era up to few years after the Nigerian civil war, to provide temporary crossing for foot and vehicle.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said local government should fix the bridges they could repair.
Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki travelled to Ikenne, Ogun State for the burial of the late Mrs. H.I.D. Awolowo.
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