Babatunde Okunola

Claim: Reno Omokri, a social media influencer and critic, claimed that the Lagos state governor renovated the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

Verdict: False! Findings show that the federal government renovated the Third Mainland Bridge

Full Text

The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The others are the Eko and Carter bridges. The 11.8-kilometre bridge links the commercial district of Lagos Island to the mainland section of the city and once held the title of the longest bridge in Africa until 1996, when the 6th October Bridge in Cairo was completed.

An important part of Lagos’ infrastructure and a central traffic corridor, the bridge helps reduce traffic congestion on the other fly over and improves transportation from the city’s port. Over the years, the famous bridge has undergone several renovations to maintain its functionality due to heavy traffic, including in 2012, 2020, 2021, and most recently between November 2023 and April 2024, after a six-month closure. On May 26, 2024, President Bola Tinubu of the Federal Government was in Lagos to commission the bridge. 

While the second phase of the renovations is ongoing, i.e., May 2024, several conversations have been had about the source of its funding, and debates have been held about state governments and how well they have used their increased FAAC monthly allocations. 

Popular social media influencer Reno Omokri on April 25, 2024, while highlighting some of the achievements of Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo Olu, claimed that the governor renovated the Third Mainland Bridge. 

A part of the post’s caption reads: “…Go to Lagos. Sanwaolu increased salaries for Lagos civil servants. Built railways all around the state. Renovated the Third Mainland Bridge…” 

Further referencing this statement that the governor had been putting the increased revenue to use and making comparisons to other governors, he wrote: 

“Again, what is your Governor doing with his increased allocation when his wage bill has not increased? Could it be that he is resting on his oars and enjoying the increased allocation with his cronies simply because your disappointment with the #NigerianElections2023 has made you fixated on Tinubu, and you expect the President to do to you what your Governor ought to be doing?”

As of May 25, 2024, the post had been viewed over 296,000 times, generating over 2,000 likes, 540 retweets, and 485 comments on X.

It has also received reactions from users, who expressed excitement and disbelief. 

An X user, @bummiearo, wrote: “Thank you for always saying the truth,” while @baresi2010 wrote, “Sanwo-Olu renovated the third mainland bridge and is about to start building the fourth mainland bridge? I laugh in Itsekiri language.”

Another user, @CorneticusT wrote, “Exactly my bro. What are they doing with the money?”

Having observed the various reactions generated by the post, DUBAWA decided to fact-check it. 

Verification

The Federal Government of Nigeria, not the Lagos State government under Governor Sanwo-Olu, undertook the renovation of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

While the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, was Flagging off the N21 billion repair project in Lagos in November 2023, he said,

“This is yet another milestone in the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.”

Speaking at the same event, Deputy Governor of Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, thanked President Bola Tinubu for giving attention to the maintenance of Third Mainland Bridge and others in the state: “…So we are flagging this off and many other roads in Lagos that will be affected based on the appropriation that Mr President signed already that will be coming to Lagos and other parts of the country, so again we thank you…”  

Other credible media reports on the bridge’s rehabilitation also credit the Federal government for the renovation. Clearing any doubt about the project amidst speculations in April, the Minister of Works stressed that the Federal Government wholly funded the rehabilitation of the 11.8-kilometre  Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos in April. 

“The Lagos State Government did not do the Third Mainland Bridge. No, it was done by the Federal Government as directed by President Ahmed Tinubu. The Federal Government bore everything about the funding through the Ministry of Works,” the minister said.

Also speaking during the opening in May 2023, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Seun Osiyemi said, “Of course, this is an infrastructure that has been given to us by the federal government so it’s ours, and we need to embrace and keep it, because a lot of money has been spent on this and it’s actually going to ease a lot of our transport.” 

Conclusion 

Our findings show that while the Lagos State government might have been involved in the planning stages, public pronouncements indicate the federal government was primarily responsible for the financing.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Diamond 88.5 FM Nigeria, to enrich the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.