By Vincent Ujumadu
AWKA — The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has announced that the first phase of the rehabilitation of the old Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta states will reopen to traffic next week.
Umahi made the announcement during an inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation works on the bridge, which was closed to traffic after sections were vandalised, prompting the diversion of traffic to the Second Niger Bridge.
The contract for the rehabilitation was awarded on September 7, 2026.
The minister said the bolts and expansion joints removed by vandals had been replaced, while resurfacing of the bridge with asphalt and concrete was ongoing.
He said he would return next week to open the completed first phase to traffic, while other rehabilitation works would continue.
Umahi directed that the kerbs along the bridge be painted with oil paint and that the metal components of the bridge up to a specified height also be repainted.
He ordered the immediate removal of all illegal advertisements on the bridge, warning that anyone seeking to advertise there must obtain approval from the Federal Ministry of Works.
The minister also directed that roadblocks, task forces and tax collection points located within 200 metres of the bridge be removed, saying they posed safety risks by creating traffic congestion.
“There shall no longer be road blocks or task force or tax people 200 meters from the bridge because it is creating a dangerous situation. Bridges are not built for static checkpoints,” he said.
Umahi directed that the order be communicated to the governors of Anambra and Delta states, as well as heads of security agencies.
He also ordered the installation of additional solar lights and directed that the existing closed-circuit television cameras on the bridge be linked immediately to the Second Niger Bridge.
The minister said he had constituted a committee to conduct an empirical assessment of the condition of the bridge above and below the water level.
“I have also set up a committee to do empirical evaluation of what is happening below and above the water level under the bridge,” he said, adding that the committee would submit its report before the end of the work on Thursday.
Umahi stressed the need for collective protection of public infrastructure, noting that the country was losing significant resources to vandalism.
Umahi canvasses support for Tinubu
The minister commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as prompt intervention in infrastructure development across the country.
He said the South-East and South-South regions should support the President because of ongoing infrastructure projects in the areas.
Umahi specifically urged voters in the regions to support Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, while challenging other presidential aspirants to account for their contributions to infrastructure development in the South-East.
“The South East and South South must support the President because of the massive infrastructure development that is ongoing in the two zones,” he said.
He also referred to former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi, saying the minister regarded him as a brother but urging voters to support Tinubu.
“We are not calling out anybody because we want to insult him. Peter Obi is our brother, but we should be strategic and wise and support President Bola Tinubu,” Umahi said.
He said although voters in the South-East did not support Tinubu sufficiently in the 2023 election, his administration had embarked on infrastructure projects in the region.
He also urged presidential aides from the South-East and South-South to beautify the Niger Bridge and decorate it with images of Tinubu as a way of appreciating the President’s intervention in infrastructure development.
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