Kwara: COREN certifies under fire Tanke flyover bridge, calls for adequate maintenance

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) said it is satisfied with some capital projects being embarked upon by the present administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State.

The council, established by Decree 55 of 1970 and further amended by the Engineers (Registration, etc.) (Amendment) Act No. 3 of 2018, is a statutory body set up by the federal government of Nigeria with the mandate to regulate the practice of engineering in all aspects and ramifications.

The newly constructed bridge has come under fire, especially by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to what it called the shoddy finishing by the contractor. Despite this, the state government said the flyover has passed the needed engineering tests.

Speaking with journalists when he led members of the council in the state on an inspection tour of some ongoing infrastructural projects by the state government on Wednesday, the chairman of the state technical committee of the COREN in Kwara state, Engineer Bashiru Lawal, said that the inspection was part of the mandate of the council to oversee ongoing engineering projects in all parts of the country.

Some of the projects inspected are the Tunde Idiagbon flyover at the Tanke area of the Ilorin metropolis, an 11-story building structure by the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), as well as some personal infrastructure in the state.

“We are here to inspect the Tunde Idiagbon flyover structurally and aesthetically and tell the whole world our verdict about it. I have members of COREN with vast experience here with me. Structurally, the bridge is okay. It can take human and vehicular loads. Members of the public should not be afraid to ply the road.

“On aesthetics, the state government is working on it. I believe that by the time the government finishes with it, everything will be in order. What matters to us is the strength of the bridge.

“Before today, we’ve held meetings, looked at samples of test results, verified them, and found out that what has been done can stand the test of the day. So, we are recommending that Tunde Idiagbon flyover is okay for vehicular and human traffic,” he said.

The COREN technical expert, however, advised the state government to continue with asphalting just as finishing touches were being put on the bridge to enable motorists to use the two sides of the bridge.

He also appealed to the government to ensure proper maintenance of the infrastructure as well as others when they were completed.

“As far as Colin is concerned, we are satisfied with the structural stability of the bridge, and the aesthetic aspect will be perfect after finishing the work. We have confidence in the engineers supervising the project.”.

Engineer Lawal said that the ongoing reconstruction of some areas of the bridge was aimed at ensuring the delivery of quality jobs.

Also speaking, the supervising commissioner for works, Abdul Quawiy Olododo, said that the state government had to terminate the contract of the first contractor that handled the project because the firm failed to deliver a quality job at the specified time.

“The job of the first contractor that took this job has to be terminated due to obvious reasons because he could not deliver within the specified time.

“Part of the agreement was to deliver quality aesthetics for us, and when we noticed the defects, we had to terminate it to bring another contractor on board who can deliver to the specifications of our agreement.”

The commissioner explained the government’s delay before the termination of the first contract on the bridge, saying that there are procedures to be followed.

“There was a waiting period for us to complete the transition, and once it was done, work was ongoing. So, the bridge would be completed in the first quarter of next year, he said.