Second Niger Bridge contract

The delay in the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, it seems is not yet over as the Federal Government asked the Ministry of Works to review the contract of the bridge and justify its actual cost. The Director Generalof the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Aminu Dikko, disclosed this to State House journalists recently […]

The delay in the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, it seems is not yet over as the Federal Government asked the Ministry of Works to review the contract of the bridge and justify its actual cost.
The Director Generalof the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Aminu Dikko, disclosed this to State House journalists recently after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the commission.
Former president Goodluck Jonathan had in 2014 flagged off the N117 billion Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State. The project, awarded to Julius Berger in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, is expected to link the South East with the South West and North.
Jonathan had then announced that in order to facilitate timely delivery of the contract, his administration had made a commitment to contribute 25 percent of the construction cost in the sum of N30 billion, assuring that the project would be delivered in four years.
However, the ICRC DG said that the commission had seen a lot of issues in the project which it was uncomfortable with and had been discussing the transaction with the Ministry of Works.
He said before it could be finalised, the commission has to give a certificate of compliance.“But we haven’t proven that because we’ve seen a lot of issues that we’re uncomfortable with. We’re talking with the Ministry of Works for them to correct it.
The communities around that area are clamouring that their lands have been taken and that they’ve not been compensated adequately.
“We’re not saying that something has not been done properly, but we need to be convinced that these few problems are sorted properly. We will also talk about the actual cost of the bridge. Eventually, we have asked the Ministry of Works to review it and justify how much the project should cost,” he said.
Onitsha needs Second Niger Bridge to facilitate trade and easy movement of  people.It is the bridge to connect the East to other parts of the country. It is more imperative because there is no train like in advanced countries to facilitate massive movement of people and goods.
The First Niger Bridge was built between 1964-1965 costing five million pounds .It was built to link Onitsha and Asaba that are today in Anambra and Delta states .
The First Niger Bridge was destroyed during the civil war of1967-1970, and it was rehabilitated after the war, however how come since the end of the war, we are still talking about it?
The lack of the Second Bridge has created a nightmare to travelers, particularly during the festive period of Christmas and New Year. The traffic jam is unprecedented; motorists even sleep there, which poses security risk, as criminals can take advantage of the hold up and strike, causing pandemonium that would aggravate the situation.
But our worry is that the Second Niger Bridge is being politicized too much, to the extent that it is synonymous with political campaign to get votes, but with not the will to execute the project.
The foundation of the bridge was laid down on May 24, 2007by the Federal Government which was to cost N58.6 billion under PPP arrangement.
The then president Olusegun Obasanjo said at the event that the delay in the commencement of the project, which was said to be one of his campaign promises to the people of the Southeast before the 1999 general election was due to the huge funds needed and legal backing.
People wonder how  the Second Niger  Bridge which is  1.760 meters, that is equivalent to  0.00176 kilometer takes decades to build, while much lengthier ones were being able to be built in lesser time, and which were started after the Niger Bridge. Take the example of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which is much longer, 11.8 kilometer in length, so definitely something is wrong.
And after all the campaign gimmicks and the then president Jonathan went and launched it with fanfare, how could the ICRC now say they are not sure about the cost?  Are they not working in tandem with the Ministry of Works that must have done whatever it is needed and accepted it?
This shows that there was no plan, that they just cleared abush for him to launch it for political reasons, as Obasanjo did.
We welcome the review, but it should be the last.  Everything should be concluded including the issue of compensation. This government should construct the Second Niger Bridge once and for all. This government should end the politicization of the bridge; a lot is at stake, not least the suffering of the commuters.