Nigeria, May 1 -- The federal government has approved the demolition and reconstruction of the Carter Bridge at a cost of N548.98 billion, citing severe structural deterioration beneath the water.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the decision on Thursday after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja.

Mr Umahi said multiple technical assessments carried out over more than a decade found that the bridge's underwater piles and pile caps had deteriorated beyond repair, leaving full reconstruction as the only viable option.

"We convocated a stakeholders' engagement, and all the technical experts all over the country, and even internationally, all agreed that we could not redeem Carter Bridge, and it has to be compl...