The yet to be completed 2nd Niger bridge has opened temporarily for use this Yuletide.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), last Thursday disclosed that the Second Niger Bridge would be open to traffic from December 15, 2022, to January 15, 2023 to ease the experience of travellers during Yuletide break.
The 1.6 kilometers long bridge links Anambra and Delta states.
According to a statement by Ohaneze ”The clamour for a second Niger bridge became necessary shortly after the Nigerian Civil War. The first Niger Bridge was commissioned in 1965 and shortly after, the Nigerian civil war broke out in 1967. The bridge was therefore not exempted from the devastating effects of the war.”
The Second Niger Bridge was first proposed during the 1978/79 political campaign by then-candidate Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
“Several administrations had used the Second Niger Bridge as a bait on the Igbo, especially during the political campaigns. When President Buhari promised that he will complete the second Niger Bridge, not many believed, especially when he could not conceal his lopsided political appointments and other resource allocations against the South East.” Ohaneze said