By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari paid a working visit to Lagos to commission some high grade projects, a dawn fire incident brought a section of Lagos Island by Eko Bridge to its commercial knees.

Portions of the Apongbon bridge were razed, disrupting traffic and access to, and from the area from the Iddo/Ijora ends which constitute the main access route into Lagos Island.

Many shops located under the bridge were destroyed by billowing fire, which still razed into the daytime, despite the streams of fire vehicles from different services serenading the incident scene.

There was heavy gridlock on the Eko Bridge, compounded by blockages caused by the operation of fire vehicles.

While the cause of the inferno was yet to be determined as of reporting time, people, especially traders, artisans and vendors of all classes milled to rue the incident, which they lamented, was going to set them back.

Before the operatives of the Federal and Lagos State Fire Services could arrive at the scene, fire trucks of a nearby commercial bank, UBA, were on ground to effect the battle.

Traders were overheard complementing the activities of the UBA fire service workers. “UBA has come here since. They said (the governor) Sanwo-Olu is coming here, he..en, ko ma bo!” (he should come!) UBA fire vehicles have been here since,” a furious trader was overheard grumbling.

Indeed, However, the federal and Lagos fire services later arrived at the scene of the incident, trying to put out the fire.

In the absence of heavy work to do, men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) strolled around, adding watches.

In its response via a tweet on its Twitter handle, LASTMA authorities announced that the fire outbreak had resulted in the slow movement of motorists, advising motorists and pedestrians to use alternative routes.

LASTMA tweeted: “There’s currently a fire incident underneath Eko Bridge which has resulted in slow movement of motorists.

“Motorists who are yet to connect Eko Bridge are advised to use alternative routes such as Third-Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge.

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“Emergency Responding Agencies like Fire Service, LASEMA, LASTMA are all on ground.”

As traders and shop owners milled, churning ‘rumours’ as to the cause of the inferno, some bordering on the political, pedestrians, commercial motorcyclists and buses and vehicles took solace in finding alternative routes to get to the island through the CMS/Leventis area. But children at a nearby school in the Elegbata area by Gospel Baptist Church were seen playing football and other games.

It was like, as one observer put it, “a day of fire with a big bill”. Commuters were forced to trek long distances.

The underparts of the bridge is really occupied by residents who live and trade there, contrary to public regulations.

Concerned traders who stood in groups like birds of the same feather, maintained the calm, trying to protect their ‘estates’ and wares. Load-carriers had field day evacuation cartons and such stuff.

Past record

Eko Bridge is among the major bridges in Lagos State that link the Lagos Mainland to the Island.

It was primarily built for faster transportation of citizens. Bolu Akande raised the notion at a leadership meeting in 1963, but he was given a deserving audience in 1965.

It begins on the Mainland from Ijora Olopa and terminates at Lagos Island’s Apongbon area.
The bridge lagoon section stretches about 430 meters. Eko bridge and its 1350-meter landward length were built in phases from 1965 to 1975.

It acts as the main entry point for car traffic entering the Island from the Surulere and Apapa parts of Lagos. Julius Berger Nigeria PLC built the bridge.

Development
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire has been attributed to combustion from chemicals.

The bridge is now feared to be disaster-prone.