Second Niger Bridge,

President Goodluck Jonathan

After many  years of delay, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday formally  kick-started work on the Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The 1,590- metre long  bridge  which would  form part of the  11-kilometre  Onitsha by-pass project will be completed in four years.

It will be executed under a Public Private Partnership arrangement  that will see the Federal Government contributing 25 per cent of the N117 bn  construction cost  and the   private sector  75 per cent.

The private  investors,  according to Jonathan, will recoup   their   funds within 25  years  through tolling.

Jonathan described the second Niger Bridge and the planned national conference that will kick off on Monday,  as two major emblems of national cohesion.

He said, “Next week, in Abuja, I shall be inaugurating the National Conference, and it seems appropriate that this bridge, and the conference, two major emblems of national cohesion, are being inaugurated within the same period.

“I would like to assure you all that every effort will be made to ensure that this  Second  Niger Bridge is delivered.

The  President told the gathering that comprised top government officials and traditional rulers among others, that his government was confident in the competence of the Concessionaire, Messrs Julius Berger-NSIA Consortium, to deliver the project.

He said, “You will recall that during my electioneering  in 2011, I promised the good people of the South-East that if elected President, I would ensure that the 2nd River Niger Bridge, was constructed.

“Today (Monday), I have come, as your President, to start off of this vital bridge project, in order to move that solemn pledge, from sincere promise to concrete reality.

“As part of our administration’s transformation agenda in the road sector, we have set out to construct two very important new bridges, across our nation’s  two great rivers – the River Niger and River Benue. These are the Loko-Oweto Bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue states, which is progressing satisfactorily, and this  Second  Niger Bridge, connecting Anambra and Delta states.

“The Second Niger Bridge, whose foundation we are laying today(Monday), represents a strategic national infrastructure, with great socio-economic prospects for the contiguous states, and indeed, for the entire nation.

“It is an important economic artery that will connect the great markets of Onitsha and Aba in Abia State, as well as the industrial hub of Nnewi and beyond, to both the Northern and Southern parts of our country.”

Jonathan said on completion, the bridge, which is being constructed almost 50 years after the existing bridge opened to traffic, would alleviate the pains experienced by travellers as a result of heavy traffic on  the old bridge, especially during festive periods.

He added that the new bridge would significantly  improve road transport in the South-East and   reduce travel times substantially, in that part of the country.

The President  explained that the project had been programmed in strict compliance with the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission Act, and the Public Procurement Act, adding that no stone had  been left unturned in ensuring its  success.

Jonathan  commended Governors Peter Obi (Anambra)  and  Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta)  as well as    the  host communities, for their patience, understanding, support and cooperation in  making  the commencement of the project possible.

He said as the nation marked its centenary, he believed that the bridge would deepen national integration and also enhance economic and social interaction among other parts of the country and the South-East.

The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolemenen, said that the ministry in 2013 commenced phase I of the project, including survey, morphodynamics study and soil investigation.

Onolemenen said,  “Let me at this juncture appreciate the Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and  Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for her strong support for  this project and for facilitating the World Bank support in the proposed construction of the  by-passes.’’

Obi  used the opportunity of the ceremony to  ask  Jonathan to give Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, a befitting burial place.

Obi, who will be stepping down as governor next Monday,  said though the Igbo were appreciative that Jonathan had come to lay the foundation for the construction of the bridge,   they were not yet done with their expectations of  the President.

He lamented that 16 years after the death of Azikiwe, the people were still shocked that the foremost nationalist had not been well honoured  with a deserving burial place.

“If you see where and how Zik’s contemporaries  like the late Kwame Nkruma of Ghana and Jomo Kenyatata of Kenya were buried, you would see that Nigeria did not give Azikiwe  a befitting  burial,” the governor   said.

He, however,  thanked Jonathan for finding it proper to construct the Zik’s Mausoleum that was abandoned by previous administrations.

Obi recalled how the President  helped  in giving the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu a befitting burial and other things his administration  had done for the people of the South -East.

He said that at the appropriate time, the people of the zone would pay back the President accordingly.

The Chairman, South-East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji,  said  the  President , with this latest development, had  shown that  the South-East  was of great importance in the Nigerian project.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, described the project as a dream come true.

He said that   Jonathan had  demonstrated an uncommon love for Ndigbo and Nigeria at large by the commencement of work on  the second Niger Bridge.

Also, the  Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and the  All Progressives Grand Alliance  Chairman, Victor Umeh, commended Jonathan for kick-starting the project.

Achebe  said “the construction of the bridge means a lot to us in Anambra; apart from the fact that it will increase commerce, it will also bring Nigerians closer to each other.

“It is a national project and it will help in transforming the nation in a very good way.

“The Federal Government has done its part by financing the project and we the locals on the  ground would make available a secure environment for the contractors to work and ensure peace.”

Nnamani expressed happiness that Jonathan had finally initiated the step to deliver  the project after many administrations failed.

He said the construction of the bridge meant increased economy for all the zones of the country.

Nnamani, who is also the Chairman of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, said that steps would be taken to effectively monitor the project to ensure that it complied with the ICRC Act of 2005.

Umeh lauded the President for the “giant stride’’ in the construction sector.

He said that this was the first time Nigeria would have such a huge amount of project being done with availability of funds from the beginning.

But former Vice-President  Abubakar Atiku  said the commencement of work on the  bridge was belated, “as it ought to have been completed before now.”

He said this   while presenting the keynote address at the 16th annual conference of African Council for Communication Education on Monday.

The conference  entitled, “Communication, Children and the Youth in the 21st century”  was hosted by the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The former vice- president, however, commended the President for eventually starting the project   after   long years of waiting.