Food supply and movement shortage may soon hit Kwara and other neighbouring states, following the collapse of the popular Mooro bridge, along Ilorin/Igbeti Road.

The bridge connects Ilorin with Kaiama and Baruten Local governments, the food basket of the state.

The bridge collapsed on Wednesday night, hampering vehicular movement in the corridor with travelers getting stuck while pedestrians too suffer almost similar fate as desperate motorists struggle for alternative means.

According to residents and travellers, the bridge reportedly caved in under the weight of a heavy-duty truck.

The ancient hydraulic structure connects Ilorin to Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas, the northern axis of Kwara State.

Our reporter was informed by the stranded motorists, mostly farmers, that the bridge collapse may affect food supply to Ilorin, the state capital and its environs.

They argued that the bridge links the central to the Kwara North from where bulk of the food gets to the capital and beyond, mentioning Ogbomoso and the entire south west.

Abdul Seidu, a farmer of perishable items, said: “here we are again, like always each time this same bridge collapses, movement is always fullstop.”

He pleaded with the state and federal governments to find lasting and enduring solutions to constant occurrences.

Meanwhile, the state government has announced the deployment of engineers from the state Ministry of Works to begin palliative work on the alternative route with a view to easing vehicular traffic along route.

In a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday, the Press Secretary of the ministry, Olajide Moyo Abolarin, said the state government has teamed with the federal authorities to work on trafic diversion on the old Moro bridge.

The statement said the state government is confident that the federal government is working on the new Moro bridge, which is already under construction, a few meters away.

It said: “State traffic managers are to work with transport unions and commuters to maintain orderly passage on the alternative route while palliative work begins immediately on the old iron-made bridge.

“We call for patience and understanding of road users and others while the emergency is resolved,” it added. (The Guardian)