AbdulRazaq hails Tinubu over Kwara bridge construction
September 10, 2026 9:53 pm
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (R); Minister of Works, David Umahi (L); and others at the site of the collapsed Oko-Olowo Bridge. Credit: Kwara State Government.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has commended President Bola Tinubu for the commencement of construction work on the Oko-Olowo Bridge, describing the project as a fulfilment of a long-standing demand by the state government.
AbdulRazaq, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, said the construction demonstrated Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare and safety of residents of the state.
The governor said the state government’s advocacy for the bridge construction dated back to 2019 and was renewed after Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
“Our advocacy on this bridge began in 2019. We again renewed this advocacy as the President settled into office in 2023,” AbdulRazaq said.
The governor recalled that he visited the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in 2024 alongside Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, and members of the National Assembly from Kwara, to push for the construction of the bridge and the Ilorin-Lokoja Road through the Omu-Aran area of Kwara.
“I recall visiting the Honourable Minister David Umahi in 2024 in company of His Excellency, Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, Honourable Mukhtar Shagaya and Honourable Ahmed Yinka Aluko, to further press for urgent construction of the bridge as well as Ilorin-Lokoja Road via Omu Aran,” he said.
AbdulRazaq added that during a visit to Kwara in October 2025, Umahi assured the state that work on the bridge would commence soon.
He described the commencement of the project as a “dream come true” and a fulfilment of the promise made by the President and the minister, adding that the project would provide relief to thousands of residents living around the axis and motorists who use the route regularly, while also helping to protect lives and property.
“We are grateful, and we see this as an intentional effort to protect lives and property. It is a relief to tens of thousands of our people who live in that axis or travel along that road every other day,” he said.
The development comes months after the old Moro Bridge along the Oko-Olowo/Mandala axis collapsed, disrupting a major road connection between Kwara and neighbouring Oyo State.
The bridge caved in around 5 am on April 30, 2026, after a heavy-duty truck reportedly passed over the ageing structure. The collapse immediately disrupted vehicular movement along the Ilorin-Igbeti Federal Highway, with the state government announcing traffic diversion and palliative work on alternative routes, while saying it was engaging federal authorities on the situation.
The old structure, described as a colonial-era Bailey bridge, had served as an important link between Kwara and Oyo states and routes leading towards the Benin Republic border.
The situation was further compounded on May 18 when heavy rainfall caused the Moro River to overflow, submerging vehicles and leaving commuters stranded around the collapsed bridge, while the temporary diversion had yet to be completed.
The prolonged disruption subsequently generated complaints from members of transport unions, who, in June, appealed to Tinubu and the governor to urgently intervene.
They warned that the collapsed bridge and another failed bridge on the Ohan River were affecting transportation and economic activities in Kwara North.
With construction now commencing, AbdulRazaq said the state remained hopeful that the Federal Government would also expedite action on other requests, particularly the Ilorin-Lokoja road through Omu-Aran.
“We are also confident that the honourable minister will graciously expedite action on our other requests, including the Ilorin-Lokoja via Omu-Aran, for the good of our people.
“This Oko Olowo project is one of the many other dividends of democracy that our people have enjoyed, and it’s another reason that the people of our state will vote massively for the President and all APC candidates in the coming election,” he concluded.
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