Security agencies urged to enforce use of pedestrian bridges

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, urged the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to enforce the use of pedestrian bridges in the country.

This was sequel to a motion sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC) which was unanimously adopted.

Oghuma said the motion was necessitated by failure of many Nigerians to use pedestrian bridges, resulting to loss of lives on highways.

According to him, in spite of the fact that pedestrian bridges were constructed to stop people from crossing busy highways, many Nigerians still endanger their lives by refusing to use them.

Oghuma cautioned that if drastic measures were not taken to enforce adherence, the trend would likely continue with loss of more lives along the highways.

“The advantages of these bridges as safety measures for pedestrians can never be over emphasised due to the inherent danger in crossing the highways directly.

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“Pedestrians still prefer to cross the highways directly rather than using the pedestrian bridges, thereby endangering their lives as there is little or no enforcement mechanism to compel pedestrians to use the bridges.

“If drastic measures are not taken to enforce adherence to the use of pedestrian bridges, the trend will likely continue and more lives will be lost through pedestrians being knocked down by speeding vehicle,’’ the lawmaker said.

The House, therefore, urged the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to protect the areas around the pedestrian bridges by creating strong barricades.

The House also urged the ministry to provide street lights and shades on the bridges to encourage usage and to safe guard pedestrians from the sun and rains.

The House Committees on Police Affairs, and Interior were mandated to ensure implementation.