There were fears at the beginning that the repairs on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos would be abandoned just like Runway 18L in the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, or the River Niger Bridge. For completing the extensive repairs on the bridge - a major link between the Island (the commercial and corporate nerve-centre of the state) and the Mainland -- right on schedule, the Federal Government deserves commendation.

The development, however, shows that the nation is yet to imbibe the maintenance culture. The structural defect on the bridge was discovered by road users, not the government agency charged with maintaining the bridge. Even after motorists discovered that it was vibrating dangerously, it took several months of persistent outcry to draw the attention of government officials to what had actually become a threat to life and property. That explains the extensive deterioration of the defect and consequent escalation of the cost of maintenance: it gulped N700 million. Now that the structural defect has been corrected, the bridge is crying for resurfacing. The cost of doing that would simply escalate if it is ignored again. A stitch in time saves nine.