Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is counting down to the end of his tenure, with only 416 days remaining as of last week’s projects commissioning speech. He pledged to double efforts on infrastructure during this period, but the fate of the long-promised Fourth Mainland Bridge remains uncertain.
Sanwo-Olu’s Infrastructure Plans
At the commissioning event, Sanwo-Olu stated, “As we commission these projects, we are also mindful that there is still more to be done. In the 400-plus days that lie ahead of our administration, we will double down on our investments in infrastructure.” He emphasized that winding down is not an excuse to slow down but an opportunity to ramp up momentum toward the finish line.
However, the Fourth Mainland Bridge—a project touted by successive administrations from President Bola Tinubu to Babatunde Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode, and now Sanwo-Olu—has not been mentioned in recent project lists. During the new year thanksgiving service, Sanwo-Olu outlined numerous projects for 2026, including hospitals, roads, and the Green Line metro rail, but the bridge was conspicuously absent.
Silence on the Bridge
The government has remained quiet on the bridge since the preferred bidder, Chinese CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium, was announced in December 2022. Sanwo-Olu had previously promised construction would start in early 2023, then by March-April 2024, but 15 months after the last deadline, no work has begun. The 38-kilometer tolled corridor, designed to connect Ajah with Ikorodu, would be the second longest bridge in Africa, with an original budget of $2.2 billion later revised to $2.5 billion under a public-private partnership.
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat attributed delays to galloping inflation and unstable exchange rates, noting that the initial budget has tripled. “We are back to the negotiation table with contractors to find a way of funding the capital-intensive project,” he said in late 2024.
Historical Context
The bridge was first proposed in 2006, slated for construction in 2017 with a 2019 completion date, but remains on paper. In 2020, the state government shortlisted six companies and issued a Request for Qualification, but earlier Memoranda of Understanding with private partners were terminated due to delays. President Tinubu, in a birthday message to Sanwo-Olu, urged him to prioritize the bridge and the Freedom Way to VGC Road.
Despite these calls, Sanwo-Olu’s recent focus has been on other projects, such as the Ojo General Hospital, Odo Iya-Alaro Link Bridge, and various road improvements across Lagos. Whether the Fourth Mainland Bridge will finally see construction before his exit in 2027 remains a lingering question for Lagosians.
