Adeleke alleges sabotage of LAMECO Bridge, orders surveillance on infrastructure

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has alleged that the damaged section of the LAMECO Bridge in Osogbo was sabotaged, condemning what he described as the vandalisation of public infrastructure for political purposes.

The governor, who inspected the affected section of the bridge and received a briefing from engineers of the Osun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, also disclosed a similar reported incident at the Lagere flyover in Ile-Ife, describing both cases as acts of sabotage.

Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said it was unfortunate that politicians could allegedly destroy public infrastructure in an attempt to blackmail the government, insisting that elections should be about presenting plans and records to the people.

“This is no longer politics. Election is about the people voting for the leaders of their choice. Our job as politicians is to market our plans and records. Why would any genuine politician arrange to destroy a beautiful edifice like the Lameco Bridge because of an election? That conduct is a hate crime against the people of Osun State,” he said.

“It is so immoral that Osun APC is not even ashamed of masterminding such sabotage. I call on politicians to play the politics of development. These infrastructures were built with public funds. Why should we endanger the lives of our people and waste public resources simply because of elections?” the governor wondered.

He commended engineers of the Ministry of Works for their prompt action and directed immediate surveillance and monitoring of key public infrastructure across the state.

Meanwhile, the Director of Highways in the Osun State Ministry of Works, Engr. Moruf Ojebode, described the incident as a minor defect and maintained that the bridge had no structural defect.

“The bridge has no structural defect. What we discovered was a hole beneath the asphalt, which we believe was created during an attempt to remove iron rods under the parapet wall. This allowed rainwater to seep into the base over time, causing the affected portion to soften,” Ojebode explained.