Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah on Monday ordered the Federal Government to facilitate the federal road from the federal to the state government.
He said this is necessary to ensure the longevity of the road because, according to him, “the current model of road maintenance has failed.”
Mbah made the suggestion on Monday while inspecting the collapsed flyover on the Enugu-Port Harcourt federal road.
“This clearly shows that we do not have the right federal maintenance model. There is a need to adopt a new road maintenance model.
“The bridge doesn’t just go down. This collapse would have not occurred if maintenance was performed regularly or intermittently.
“The state should control the road in their domain and negotiate the funding model,” said Mbah.
The Governor thanked God that no one was killed in Monday’s accident.
“Now, we are witnessing the tragedy that just happened here. We are lucky that no one was lost, but it could have been avoided.
“People can’t ply this road anymore because of this tragedy,” he said.
The State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Gerald Otiji, advised commuters not to follow the collapsed bridge area, but to take alternative routes to their destinations.
Otiji said alternative routes would be followed as the government took steps to repair the failed section of the bridge.
