Nigeria inaugurates ₦40bn CCTV control centre for Lagos Third Mainland Bridge

The Federal Government has commissioned a state-of-the-art, ₦40 billion Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) control centre for the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

The project aims to enhance safety and security on the crucial infrastructure.

At the inauguration on Sunday, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, stated that the facility follows extensive rehabilitation of the bridge undertaken since the administration took office in 2023.

“When we came on board in 2023, we met a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge,” Umahi said, noting that comprehensive repairs, including the replacement of expansion joints, have since improved driving conditions and prolonged the bridge’s lifespan.

The newly activated CCTV system, first announced in 2025, is designed to monitor dangerous driving, deter suicide attempts, and bolster security. Security personnel will use the centre to observe live footage and enforce speed limits.

“The idea is that we can see everything that is happening on the bridge,” Umahi explained, while urging motorists to obey traffic rules.

The project, executed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), also includes a surveillance boat and two Hilux vans, which will be deployed to the police for monitoring and rapid response.

Umahi commended CCECC for delivering a high-quality project.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olufemi Dare, described the facility as the first of its kind on any bridge in Nigeria, enabling real-time monitoring of the bridge and surrounding waters.

He detailed that the project encompasses 240 solar panels, 10 inverters, a 300 KVA transformer, a standby generator, multiple monitoring screens, and a fully air-conditioned control centre.

Additionally, it includes 1,268 solar-powered street lights and a borehole facility.

Dare confirmed the project cost was ₦40.17 billion, with approximately ₦36 billion already disbursed to the contractor.

He noted that this inauguration marks the first phase, with further commissioning planned upon completion of the bridge’s extension. Dare thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving the project and praised Minister Umahi for overseeing its execution with due process.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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