LAGOS State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has apologised to residents of the state for the severe traffic congestion experienced on Wednesday and Thursday morning, which was caused by ongoing repair work on the Independence Bridge.
He issued the apology on behalf of the state and the Federal Government, according to a statement released on Thursday, April 3, by his media aide, Jubril Gawat.
The closure of the bridge for essential repairs had left thousands of Lagosians stranded in the area.
Videos and photos of commuters stuck in the gridlock circulated widely on social media following the closure, prompting significant public criticism.
“Governor of Lagos State, Mr @jidesanwoolu, says all the alternatives will be cleaned up more than before; More traffic officers and security operatives will be deployed to the roads as was done during the December period.
“Mr Governor also appealed to Lagosians to keep obeying traffic rules and also offices that can work from home, or work online for this period of work,” Gawat stated.
Gov @jidesanwoolu apologizes for severe gridlock caused by Independence Bridge repairs, delayed 3+ years to prevent disaster. More traffic officers, cleanup of alternative routes underway. Work-from-home advised.
pic.twitter.com/V2xfTrkGxd— The ICIR (@TheICIR) April 3, 2025
The ICIR reported on March 16 that the Lagos state government announced the shutdown of the Independence/Mekwen Bridge (inbound Marina/CMS route) for two months to allow emergency repairs.
According to a statement by the State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the emergency repairs are scheduled to take place from Wednesday, March 19, to Monday, May 26.
During the repair work, the section of the road from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) through Bonny Camp Bridge and down to Independence Bridge would be closed to vehicular movement.
Similarly, the Bonny Camp Underpass Bridge service lane inbound Independence Bridge will not be available for motorists.
However, the service lane from Ahmadu Bello Way to Ozumba Mbadiwe will be open to traffic.
Motorists travelling to Victoria Island from Ahmadu Bello Way are advised to use Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue inbound towards Akin Adesola Street, then proceed to Falomo Roundabout, and subsequently join Obafemi Awolowo Road to access Ring Road and continue their journeys, among other directives.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have taken to social media to criticise the government’s handling of the situation.
An X user, Mosebolatan, lamented why the governor is making law enforcement that should be standard practice appear like it is for special occasions, like road maintenance.
“Should a koropes [mini bus] drive against traffic anywhere? Should “double parking” happen at all?
“We all studied Traffic Management in our Civil Engineering undergrad [sic] years and it’s shameful that construction, reconstruction and maintenance works are done without proper planning,” Mosebolatan lamented.
The user added that there would be heavy traffic, but that management was key, stressing that there could be temporary and alternating lane shifts for morning and evening rush hour traffic.
Another X user, Afeez Ojuolape, further suggested that the Lagos state government could implement other time-sharing on another lane that they have not yet been concerned with repair works.
“Traffic movement from 12 am to 12 pm inward Ahmadu Bello and 1 pm to 12 am traffic movement outward Ahmadu Bello, while the alternative routes serve as the backup,” Ojuolape said.