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.
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