BEFORE the colonial era, dug-out canoes were the only means of crossing River Niger between Asaba in present day Delta state and Onitsha in present day Anambra State. However, a modicum of improvement came with the advent of colonial administration: thanks to the introduction of ferry services.With increase in business activities between the Western and the Eastern parts of the country, the slow pace of crossing by ferry became an avoidable constraint. These realities necessitated the building of the Niger Bridge. It was therefore a monumental achievement in December 1965, when Nigeria's former Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, commissioned the bridge.Today, the Niger Bridge which has served as the only link between the old Eastern Region and the rest of the Southern Nigeria for 46 years is now decrepit, weak and a pathetic sight with visible cracks all over. All this has been due to poor and inadequate maintenance.Weighed down by a bevy of articulated vehicles, buses and other light vehicles, the bridge bears heavy traffic 24 hours daily. The combination of daily buffeting by inclement weather and seasonal traffic gridlock during festive periods increase the risk of the collapse of Niger Bridge, seen by experts as a disaster waiting to happen. In the face of the continuing deterioration of the first Niger Bridge, the need for a second one becomes imperative. The military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) initiated the move in 1992 to build a Second Niger Bridge to reduce the pressure on the present one and enhance traffic flow.The design was undertaken by NSE PREMS, a subsidiary of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). But that was how far the regime went until its leadership stepped aside in August 1993. The project remained dormant until it was resurrected during the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo who claimed to have awarded the contract for the second bridge for N60 billion.Although Obasanjo rolled out the drums to celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the second Niger Bridge on May 24, 2007, five days to the end of his tenure, but it has since been discovered that no such contract was signed or awarded.Prior to the April 2011 general elections, almost all the Presidential candidates identified it as a priority project if elected. It was equally a major campaign issue for candidates in the South-East seeking election into either the Senate or the House of Representatives.In spite of the several setbacks, the project has suffered in the last 20 years; the good news is that the bridge is one of the projects earmarked for completion from the fund that would accrue to government from the removal of the fuel subsidy.Put at a cost of N100bilion, the second Niger Bridge, which measures 1,760 meters and designed to have a six-lane carriage and a toll plaza, is scheduled for completion in three years with payment spread accordingly.The project is at the level of signing of contracts. The government says that Memorandum of Understanding has reached a stage and will not be dropped again. While we commend Federal Government's commitment towards building the Second Niger Bridge to relieve travellers along that corridor of their daily nightmarish experiences, sustained efforts at repairing and routine maintenance of the old bridge must not cease. The Niger Bridge is a key socio-economic corridor to the South East; its survival must remain on the front burner and above political rhetoric.
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