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Nollywood actress Nkechi Blessing has appealed to the Lagos State government to put safety measures on the newly reconstructed Third Mainland Bridge to prevent accidents and deaths.
Blessing's plea followed the death of one Akintoye Benson, an aide to the chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, better known as MC Oluomo.
Benson reportedly died in an auto crash on Third Mainland Bridge on the night of Thursday, March 7, 2024.
A viral video circulating on social media showed the deceased in a wrecked vehicle after the accident.
The Third Mainland Bridge is undergoing phased reconstruction by the Federal Ministry of Works.
Nigerians who have driven on the finished sections have testified to its smoothness and usability.
However, that also presents some pitfalls, as uncontrolled speeding on the reconstructed bridge may lead to accidents. And this is evident in the reported crashes on the Third Mainland Bridge in the past couple of weeks.
In creating awareness of this inherent danger, Blessing suggested that the government install speed cameras and speed limit signs on the bridge to prevent further losses of lives.
She said this in a video which surfaced on social media on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
"Dear Lagos Government, we appreciate the fact and the need for reconstructing the Third Mainland Bridge.
"If I hadn't driven on that bridge and I had this experience, I won't relate with all the comments I have been seeing on each blogs that have posted about Toye's death regarding the Third Mainland Bridge.
"Now, this is what I feel should be done. I don't know if it's in the works. But if it's not, I beg you people, please just put a speed camera. Once you overspeed, the camera catches your full plate number and you'd pay for overspeeding. Speed-limit camera and also install all those 50, 40, 30, 10, speed limit signs." the actress stated.
She challenged the government to show commitment to its campaign for a better Nigeria by ensuring the safety of motorists on the reconstructed bridge, saying, "Start with this your new Third Mainland Bridge because there was an accident on this same Third Mainland Bridge last week.
"And just yesterday night, it was one of the Lagos State workers. He's part of the NURTW, at least it was a Lagos State person that died last night on this same bridge," she said.