Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo sociocultural group, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for keeping his promise to complete the Second Niger Bridge before the end of his tenure.
The Second Niger Bridge reopened to motorists on December 15, just in time for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, which are notoriously congested in the Southeast.
Ohanaeze described the bridge as “a key national infrastructure, with immense socio-economic benefits not only for the contiguous states but for the entire nation,” according to a statement issued by its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, on Friday.
According to Ohanaeze, the need for a second Niger bridge arose shortly after the Nigerian Civil War.
It recalled that several administrations had used the Second Niger Bridge as a bribe to the Igbo, particularly during political campaigns, but had never delivered on it until President Muhammadu Buhari took over.
“The first Niger Bridge was commissioned in 1965 and the Nigerian war broke out in 1967. The bridge was therefore not exempted from the devastating effects.
“The second Niger Bridge has been a major concern to the Igbo for over fifty years because of two major reasons; apart from the traffic lock jam on top of the bridge, the greatest fear was that the bridge had evidence of cracks such that the stress of weights on the bridge could cause collapse all the vehicles and their contents into the River Niger with untold consequences.
“Based on the general clamour for a Second Niger Bridge, the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, in 1992, challenged the Nigerian Engineers to come up with a design of the second bridge. It was believed that upon completion, the bridge will ease traffic flow, allay fears, improve road safety and create greater road user confidence among the commuters.
“Several administrations had used the Second Niger Bridge as a bait on the Igbo, especially during the political campaigns. When President Buhari promised that he would complete the second Niger Bridge, not many believed, especially when he could not conceal his lopsided political appointments and other resource allocations against the Southeast.
“On assumption of office as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor in company of several APC government officials on February 6, 2021 visited the site wherein he remarked that the “people of the Southeast would continue to be grateful to the present federal government for hearkening to the needs of Ndigbo.
“A few days ago, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), disclosed that the Second Niger Bridge would be open to traffic from December 15, 2022, to January 15, 2023, to ease the experience of travellers during the Yuletide break. And so, it has come.
“Surely, President Buhari did not start the work on the bridge, but in a country where the abandoned projects far outnumber the completed ones, vital infrastructure that should have been taken for granted are celebrated.
“While the Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Obiozor immensely appreciates Mr President on the Second Niger Bridge, it is hoped that Mr. President will use the remaining few months in office to pursue some other transcendental objectives which will write his name with gold in the sands of time.”
