Second Niger Bridge a done deal

The Federal Government has assured that all ongoing projects including the Second Niger Bridge will be completed and commissioned before May 2015. Minister of Works, Mike Onolemenmen, who gave the assurance, listed other priority projects that must be completed before the end of the current administration to include the Enugu-Port-Harcourt Road, the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road.

Fielding questions from journalists after inspecting the ongoing work at Ebu-Utor Bridge between Edo and Delta states, Onolemenmen said: “The Second Niger Bridge is a done deal, as it has gone through crucial technical process necessary for its take off.”

The 400-metre Ebu-Utor Bridge, which is a link between the two states, was abandoned in 2007 after N2 billion had been sunk into it but was re-awarded last year at the cost of N4.4 billion to Interbau Construction Company Limited.

According to the minister, the Federal Government was committed to the completion of some abandoned road projects that would impact directly on the economy of the people, saying his ministry had been empowered to pursue and complete the projects by 2015.

“Some germane and critical roads projects, which have direct economic impact on the people, which were abandoned will be completed by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration before 2015 in line with its transformation agenda,” he stated.

He commended the pace of work at the Ebu-Utor Bridge, noting that the government was particularly interested in the completion of the link bridge to reduce travel time from the northern part of the country to the southern region by about two hours.

The minister urged the construction company to expedite action on the work and to ensure that it was ready to be delivered by mid-2014, adding that the president would personally commission the project on completion.

Onolemenmen said the original contract cost was N4 billion as at the time of its award “but considering the inflationary trend, its present status has to be reviewed in tandem with current market realities,” he said.