[size=14pt]FG Raises Hope On Second Niger Bridge[/size]
Tony Ailemen
24 March 2010

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Abuja — Acting President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday renewed hope for the construction of the second Niger Bridge which has been described as strategic for national unity.

The came on the heels of current fears that the old Niger Bridge which was recently declared as " unsafe" was under the threat of possible collapse.

Governors Peter Obi of Anambra State, Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State, Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, Theodore Orji of Abia State and Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State were all at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to meet with Jonathan over the problems of the South East geo-political zone.

Governor Obi who briefed State House Correspondents after the meeting assured that the federal government gave assurances on the construction of the second Niger Bridge.

He said: "The second Niger Bridge, as you know is necessary. The first Niger Bridge built several years ago is collapsing. The Ministry of Works, the Senate and House Committees on Works and the contractors handling the projects have said that the bridge is no longer safe and there is an urgent need to start the construction of the second Niger Bridge," he said.

He said the Acting President in the meeting promised to intervene with a view to commencing the construction of the second Niger Bridge before the expiration of the tenure of this administration.

The governors, who said they were at the Villa to discuss issues affecting the South-East region, listed those issues to include erosion, insecurity and those of abandoned federal government projects as some of the issues on the front burner requiring urgent federal government attention in the South East.

"As you know, last year, the federal government declared the entire south east a disaster area and promised to intervene and government actually formed a committee led by the Acting President himself," Obi said.

He noted that most of the governors in the south east were spending fortunes to keep the police and other security agencies but the situation, he said, cannot continue because they found out that the hoodlums firepower was more than that of the police.

"The security agencies are trying but they need more support from the federal government. There is also the issue of water in the urban areas, the federal government in the past awarded contracts for water scheme in Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, Orlu, all these have become abandoned projects. These and other issues, such as the dearth of federal government projects in the south east, that is why we are here," he noted.

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201003240622.html

If this project does take off, it should go hand in hand with the total revamp of all roads through to Benue state and more importantly, a highway / goods railway from Asaba through to Warri port.
With the aove, the bridge would soon pay for itself as well as greatly reduce heav goods traffic on the over laboured Ore-Lagos road.

Yipee.

We need it for biafran troop movements when we start the process of defining country boundaries, lol.  

@ frosbel


your dream is very fantastic. Wakie wakie!