THE Niger Bridge at Onitsha in Anambra State serves as artery to the commercial hearts of many towns in the South East and some South/ South geo-political zones of Nigeria. It is a link between these zones and many states in the north and west of Nigeria.

It is horrifying that the present state of the bridge put palpable fears in the mind of commuters whenever they are crossing the bridge. People using the bridge are subjected to excruciating experience because of the one lane that is used as against the double lane carriage. The fear is that the double lane carriage, if used, it may lead to the collapse of the bridge. Hence the endless traffic holds up on the bridge which keeps commuters on the road for hours, especially during festive seasons.

The poor state of the bridge has been subject of concern to many citizens from the eastern region and relevant authorities in the country. The bridge which was designed in the 1960s and lies on the critical economic route to the south-east, is carrying traffic far excess to its capacity. Therefore it requires urgent and continuous adequate attention from the authorities concerned.

In 2004 when reports were received about unusual noise and vibration heard and observed by motorist on the Niger Bridge at Onitsha, officials of the Federal Ministry of Works visited the site and discovered that bolts and joints, nuts and some structural members had been removed or vandalised. Further discovery was made in November 2012 when the ministry engaged a private firm to carry out repair works. Many faults like tilted bearing, heavy corrosion and extensive vandalisation of structural members were noticed at the bridge.

However, the strategic position of the Niger Bridge at Onitsha and its deteriorating condition is being exploited by past and present politicians in Nigeria. While campaigning for votes in the south east, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo made promises of fixing the bridge and to build a second Niger Bridge. Sadly to say that all those promises were campaign promises to win votes from the South/East geo-political zones. Throughout the eight years of his government little was done to improve the bridge condition neither was a second bridge built. Just like many of the project embarked by his administration which turns out to be phantom projects or 419 projects, to use the Nigerian phrase. Few days towards the end of Obasanjo’s government, he did an abracadabra with the bridge by going to Onitsha and cutting a tape in which it was claimed that it is a ground breaking event that will herald the construction of the long awaited second Niger Bridge at Onitsha. However, Nigerians were surprised at the revelation made by the minister of works during the regime of late Musa Yar’adua which showed that there was no document in the ministry relating to the award of contract for the second Niger Bridge at Onitsha. The question is if there was no contract for a second bridge why did the former president decide to deceive Nigerians?

One of the promises of late Yaradua’s government was to see the realisation of a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha, not very few saw this as a political promise to curry favour from the South/East geo-political zone for possible future votes. But the late president health challenges and the cold hands of death never allowed him fulfill his promise throughout the three years he was on the seat as president of the nation. Another hope of many commuters was lost as their expectation of seeing their dreams of a second bridge which will ease their painful suffering of having to cross the bridge became a mirage.

Presently, critical works carried out on the bridge has helped to avert its sudden collapse, but observations and monitoring by consultants indicate that erosion and aging are affecting the strength of the bridge. There is a need for regular replacement of more missing bolts, nuts and other metallic elements. Though measures have been put in place to reduce the number of lanes from 4 to 2 in order to reduce stress in some bridge truss, some structural members of the bridge is still vulnerable considering the heavy flow of traffic and the load it is carrying every day. Hence, it is important to build a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha.

The Federal Ministry of Works had expressed their concern on the integrity of the bridge. In 2012 they engaged the services of an engineering consultancy firm to carryout engineering design for the dynamic measurement as well as overall rating of the bridge. Technical inspection with photographic documentation, survey of the substructure, and tests on the different materials on the deck slab and the steel trust elements were carried out. The firm also did investigate the dynamic load tests and global behaviour of the bridge, low strain integrity test on some selected foundation wells to assess the condition of the shaft and the depth of the wells. There was geotechnical and hydraulic study of the bridge and bathymetric survey of the river bed. Analysis of the substructure was carried out to evaluate the pressure that the bridge transfers to the foundation ground both in the actual condition and with the proposed intervention of the foundation.

Further ultrasonic test on steel structural elements needs to be carried out in order to check the material integrity and to detect the depth of cracks. Rockwell hardness test had to be carried out on mechanical properties of steel structural elements and reinforcement bars identified with design requirement.

The consultant engaged by the ministry recommended that the foundation of the bridge should be strengthened with jet grouting treatment, the river banks at the Asaba side of the river is to be protected against erosion with geo textile mattress filled with lean concrete. Complete anti –trust treatment must be carried out and replacement of rusted connections and bolts. Replacement of non-collaborating existing slab with a composite slab made of steel sheets cast in structural concrete. Damaged elements and expansion joints should be replaced and the bridge supports realigned.

It is painful to note that a comprehensive rehabilitation work cannot be carried out on the bridge because of the unavailability of design and drawing of the bridge. In addition there is no maintenance record for more than 50 years now anywhere of previous rehabilitation work carried out on the bridge at Onitsha.

Though the overall rating of the bridge is fair but expert still doubt its integrity because of age and reasons advanced above. In order to avert possible future collapse of the old bridge, work for the second Niger Bridge should be vigorously pursued. It is not enough for Julius Berger to win the contract for the construction of a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha but they should be mobilised and a time frame given to them to complete the work. We have witnessed in this country where contractors won a bid and relocated to site and that was the end of such contract. As the year 2015 approaches, Nigerians do not want politicians to use the construction of a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha as a political campaign issue and make fake promises they have always failed to keep.

If President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan keeps to his promise of delivering a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha to the people of Nigeria, it will be accredited to him forever as a President who worked the talk and the people of Nigeria, especially in the south/East, will support his government 100% now and in the near future. But failure to do any meaningful work at the bridge by the present government will provoke a backlash by the people not only against the president but also the ruling party come 2015.

As Nigerians wait for the delivery of the second bridge, we urge the minister of works, Arc. Mike Oziegbe Onolememen to expedite action on the    rehabilitation works of the old bridge urgently and such work should be carried out from time to time to avert sudden collapse of the bridge and because of the strategic position of the bridge to the country and the age of the bridge.

I think the construction of the second Niger bridge is one thing that'll give Jonathan more score to the people of South east than perhaps any other thing. The Works minister have severally acknowledged the facts mentioned here and I hear that full arrangements are been made to give that bridge a world class attention. Let's hope it incarnates. Considering that people from the South east hold some of the most enviable positions in the present cabinet and the support Jonathan enjoyed from that region during the last election and uptill now, there's not much reason to fear that this promise is a scam.

Again, late President Yar'adua had started a moot dredging of the lower niger. I wonder why am not hearing much about it again. I doubt if that project is still alive. If the lower niger is fully dredged and ships can deliver into the port I bet that LAGOS WILL DEFLATE cos most of the importers are Igbo and most of what they import are used in Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba so it'll make no sense importing from Lagos when there's Onitsha port. But painfully enough Nigerian politics for decades has been that of 'starve them so they become beggarly and pliable and menable and victory is sure.' But in the end we all keep ourselves on the ground.
God bless Nigeria and Nigerians.