Fashola assures of Second Niger Bridge completion in 2022

Nigerians have been reassured that the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge will be completed in 2022.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola gave the assurance in a town hall meeting to host communities of Anambra and Delta States, while lamenting that some grounds had been lost in the job as a result of conflicts and the COVID -19 pandemic.

Fashola commended the governors of both states, Willie Obiano and Ifeanyi Okowa for their efforts in returning normalcy in the area.

The minister said “The President asked me to assure you that nothing would stop the completion of the project in 2022.

“The project is on course; thanks to the governors of Anambra and Delta States, Willie Obiano and Ifeanyi Okowa for their efforts in returning normalcy here.

“Notwithstanding, the initial conflict and COVID-19 heat, the project will be delivered as scheduled in 2022 .The President is committed to that date.”

The Minister disclosed the cost of the project to be N414bn and sued for peace and sacrifice from the host communities.

“This is huge investment. We need peace to finish this work; we need patient, we need sacrifice. We shall remediate what you go through. You will not be left behind; we shall control the flooding resulting from the construction.

“Compensation is a big issue. It will be better for the state governments of Anambra and Delta States to engage the host communities while we (FG) deal with the state governments about issues of compensation. But the government does not have all the money. Even if oil price drops further, this project must continue,” Fashola enthused.

In a related development, Fashola, who had earlier inspected Zik masoluem, announced that a management board had been constituted to handle the place so that the facility would not go into disuse and called for concerted efforts in keeping the place in order, noting that “Zik belongs to all of us.”

Governor Obiano and Governor Okowa thanked Buhari for ensuring that the 2nd Niger Bridge project stayed alive and also commend the commitment of the Honorable minister in the project.

Obiano disclosed that he had resolved conflicts on the project five times from the Anambra side and urged the contractor, Julius Berger Plc to settle the contentious issues with the host communities, which he said has not been met.

“It’s important we support the FG by holding our youths. We shall ensure peace from the Anambra side. The multiplier effects of this bridge are already being felt. We shall continue to support this initiative, despite the odds,” Obiano added.

Managing Director, Julius Berger, PLC, Lars Richter, revealed that the project had reached 50.1 completion.