Second Niger Bridge Ready By October

 

By Okey Maduforo Awka

The second River Niger bridge would finally be ready for use in October this year following ninety-three percent completion of work on the project.

Similarly, PIFmedia gathered from this reporter that all major civil works on the project ended yesterday, as the Minister for Finance Hajia SuaibuHadiza paid an inspection visit to the project site.

According to the minister “this is a very significant day in the life of this project; the second Niger Bridge and this is the most iconic project in the country at the initial cost of N205 billion.

Today we have been able to fund this project up to N157 billion and the significant thing today is that the two ends of the bridge have been linked up together and this is the final and finishing touch of the project

I can now report to Mr. President that I have seen where N175 billion spent on this project has gone this project has given jobs to more than 80,000 persons and it would go a long way in easing traffic and also improving commerce, industry, and the economy of the people of the South East and South-South.

The project is being funded partly through the Infrastructural Development Fund used in also executing Ibadan and Kaduna Expressway projects but the most advanced among these projects is the second Niger Bridge

Also speaking on the project the Director Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency NISA Mr. Uche Orji said that the project is being funded by the agency and the federal government adding that most of the funds came from the Abacha loot which was put to use in executing capital projects across the country.

At the Onitsha – Owerri interchange the Controller Fof Federal Ministry of Works Engr A R Ajani said that the first phase of the project which is the interchange has gotten to its conclusion adding that the road is 46.9 km linking the Asaba end of the second Niger bridge to Onitsha.

Ajani noted that the interchange was aimed at decongesting the old Onitsha – Owerri hihighwaybut lamented that the project would have been ready before now but for the soil quality of the area.

The second Niger bridge contract was awarded by the then Good luck Jonathan regime with two tole gates at the Asaba and Onitsha end which has also been completed by the contractor Julius Berger construction company.