FG condemns Lagos bridge vandalism

The Federal Ministry of Works has condemned the continued vandalism of bridge rails in Lagos State, despite casting the iron rails in concrete to curb the menace.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olufemi Dare, made this known while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on the vandalised bridge rails.

He expressed concern that hoodlums were still breaking the concrete rails to remove the iron rods embedded inside.

According to him, the ministry would again write to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other security agencies to intensify surveillance on bridges across the state.

Dare said the EFCC recently arrested some suspects involved in vandalism and brought them, along with the stolen items, to the ministry.

He advised Nigerians to protect public infrastructure in the same way they would protect their personal assets, adding that the facilities are meant for the benefit of the public.

The controller also appealed to Nigerians to take responsibility for public infrastructure and report anyone found damaging it to security agencies.

In reaction, the President of the Association of Scrap and Waste Pickers, Lagos State, Friday Oku, said the association condemns vandalism in its entirety.

He, however, urged the government to formalise the scrap and waste-picking sector by creating a database of all operators and issuing identity cards to genuine members.

Oku noted that the association had started in-house registration and the issuance of identity cards to members who pay a token, as a means of formal identification.