The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed it spent N3.8 billion to repair four bridges damaged by vandals and petrol laden tankers.⁣

 Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works and Housing, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a Town Hall Meeting on Protection of Public Infrastructure.⁣

The minister who was a panellist at the meeting disclosed that N203 million was being used to repair the Otedola bridge in Lagos that was damaged by fire caused by petrol laden tanker while N605 million was used to repair the Kara bridge, also damaged by fire from a petrol laden tanker.

The Tamburawa bridge in Kano which was damaged by illegal mining activities was also being repaired with N1.8 billion.⁣
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The minister also disclosed that over N200 million contracts had been awarded for the repair of airport linked bridge in Lagos also destroyed by petrol laden tanker.⁣
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Besides the four bridges, the minister said that N813.5 million was being used for the reconstruction of three bridges damaged by insurgents in Borno and Gombe states.⁣
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Fashola said the damages were regrettable because they were consuming the limited resources that could have been used to tackle other nagging issues facing the nation.⁣
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He noted that “no nation grows beyond the capacity of its infrastructure’’ and the country must optimise the little it had.⁣
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“You see, what this does is that it affects everybody in a very negative way and the other point to make is that all of these damages to public property are actually killing all of us.⁣
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“All of these monies that we are spending could have been put to other uses.⁣