The Federal Government on Thursday reopened the First Niger Bridge to traffic, barely a month and a week after its closure for rehabilitation and maintenance works.
The bridge, which connects Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State, was reopened by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, in the presence of federal and state government representatives and traditional rulers from both states.
Speaking during the reopening ceremony at the Onitsha end of the bridge, Umahi commended the governors of Anambra and Delta states, as well as the contractor, SKCC, for their contributions to the rehabilitation project.
He also used the occasion to canvass support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, urging the people of the South-East and South-South to reward the President for what he described as his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development in the two regions.
Umahi said Tinubu had worked hard for the South-East and South-South, arguing that the rehabilitation of the bridge and other ongoing road projects demonstrated the President’s commitment to national development beyond ethnic and regional considerations.
He said the rehabilitation works had addressed critical infrastructure concerns and were aimed at improving traffic flow, easing congestion and ensuring the safety of motorists using the bridge.
However, the minister noted that the work was not yet 100 per cent complete, despite the reopening, indicating that some aspects of the project remained outstanding.
“We have every reason to thank the governors of Anambra and Delta states.
“We must commend the contractors, SKCC, very, very highly; they have worked very well. We are not 100 per cent done because we are going to do more,” Umahi said.Buy Maps
He described the rehabilitation project as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to the South-East and South-South, insisting that the regions were receiving infrastructure projects comparable to those being executed elsewhere in the country.
“The evidence of what we are doing today is a total testimony that President Bola Tinubu is indeed a detribalised Nigerian. What other regions are getting, the people of South-South and South-East are getting it. And so why should we not appreciate the President?” he asked.
Umahi further questioned whether the scale of infrastructure development currently being undertaken in the two regions would have been possible under a different administration, adding that he had no regrets supporting Tinubu.
“For how many years, we had Enugu-Onitsha Road, nobody could pass it. Why was there no governor that intervened?”
“We have no regret supporting President Bola Tinubu. Let me declare in opening this bridge that I have no regret supporting Mr President.
“I am very, very proud for him to be my boss. He is the most qualified and eminently qualified to lead this country,” the minister said.
He added that the bridge’s reopening as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to improve transportation infrastructure and facilitate movement between the South-East and South-South.
“By the power of Mr President and in our deep appreciation of what he has done for the people of South-South and South-East in this bridge, it is my humble pleasure, and with gratitude to God Almighty, to open this bridge for the benefit of our people, in Jesus’ name,” Umahi declared.
The First Niger Bridge, a major transportation link between Anambra and Delta states, was built in 1965 and remains a critical route for commercial activities and passenger movement between the South-East and South-South.
The bridge was initially scheduled to be closed to traffic from September 7 to September 21 to facilitate rehabilitation and maintenance works following the discovery of vandalised structural components, including steelwork associated with its expansion joints.
However, the closure was extended beyond the original deadline because of persistent rainfall and other unforeseen circumstances that delayed the completion of the work.
Its reopening is expected to ease movement between Onitsha and Asaba, restore normal traffic flow along the busy corridor and provide relief to motorists, traders and commuters who had been affected by the closure.
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