The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has apologised to residents who were left stranded in hours-long gridlock due to the ongoing repair work at the Independence Bridge in the state.
The closure of the Independence Bridge for repair left thousands stranded in traffic between Wednesday evening and early Thursday.
Videos and photos of stranded commuters had gone viral on social media following the traffic and prompting a backlash.
Following the development, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, ordered the reopening of the bridge to ease the traffic congestion.
Addressing reporters on Thursday during a visit to the bridge to inspect the level of work, Sanwo-Olu apologised for the traffic situation, saying that the renovation work was necessary to prevent an imminent disaster.
The governor stated that more should have been done in communicating with residents of the state about the development.
He said, “First, I think what is appropriate is really to first tender apologies to all our citizens and to all Lagosians for the very, very difficult, erroneous practices that we experienced in the last 24 hours in the city and within the island of Lagos.
“I think this apology is important so that we can take full responsibility as a government, both at the national and sub-national levels, for just taking our people through an unfortunate incident. It was all well intended, it was all for good causes, and it was all for us to avert a future disaster that was waiting to happen.”
The governor, who was accompanied by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat and other government officials, was received by officials of Buildwell Construction, who are handling the project.
