The Lagos State Government has blamed recurring crashes on Otedola Bridge on reckless driving, indiscipline and overloaded trucks, insisting that the structure has no engineering defects.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, disclosed this at the annual media parley organised by the state Ministry of Transportation in Ikeja.
Osiyemi said a joint inspection by officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government confirmed the bridge’s structural integrity.
“Our recent joint assessment with the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, alongside previous structural integrity tests, shows conclusively that Otedola Bridge has no engineering defects,” he said.
“The recurring accidents are largely linked to motorist behavior and the poor condition of vehicles plying the road,” he added.
The commissioner announced plans to deploy weighbridges at strategic locations across Lagos to monitor the weight of trucks and ensure compliance with legal limits.
He also warned motorists against speeding along roads under construction, particularly the ongoing coastal road project.
Osiyemi urged drivers to exercise patience and avoid treating construction zones as high-speed expressways.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said heavy-duty vehicles placed considerable pressure on the state’s road network.
“While indiscriminate movement and congestion caused by heavy-duty vehicles significantly accelerate road wear and increase crash risks, human error and excessive speeding remain the leading causes of crashes along the Otedola Bridge corridor,” he said.
Bakare-Oki added that more than 60% of cargo transported in Nigeria originated from or passed through Lagos.
However, a timeline of crashes published by Nigeria Info shows the scale of the problem.
On March 11, 2025, a gas-laden truck fell and exploded, killing at least two people, according to later reports.
On Jan. 23, 2026, a collision involving articulated trucks killed a driver.
A dispatch rider also died in a separate crash on April 22.
The latest incident occurred on Oct. 19, when a diesel tanker plunged from the bridge and caught fire, leaving two people with severe burns.
In March 2025, the House of Representatives called for a technical audit of the bridge, including an assessment of its gradient and safety barriers.
The repeated crashes have continued to raise concerns among motorists and residents, who have called for lasting measures to prevent further deaths and injuries.
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