[size=14pt]Second Niger Bridge Construction Begins In Sept - Minister[/size]
Leadership Editors's picture
Mon, 30/04/2012 - 4:21pm | AGENCY REPORT

The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, says in Abuja on Monday that the construction of the second Niger Bridge will begin in September.

Onolememen disclosed this when Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

According to him, the procedure for the project began in December 2011 and will involve a hybrid between Public Private Partnership and the usual government contract.

The minister said that the concessionaires for the project would soon be announced by the Federal Government.

``In the next three weeks, we would announce the concessioners to handle the project; and by the last quarter of 2012 to 2013, they will move to site to start ground-breaking,’’ he said.

The minister said 30 per cent of the project would be funded by the Federal Government while the remaining 70 per cent would be handled by private investors.

Onolememen assured the governor that the ongoing Onitsha-Owerri dual carriage way would be completed by 2013.

He thanked the governor for his contribution to the completion of critical infrastructure in the South-East zone.

The minister commended the state government for the rehabilitation of the Onitsha-Owerri road, an alternative route to the South-East, to ease hardship encountered by motorists.

Onolememen pledged the Federal Government’s support for infrastructure development in the state and all parts of the country.

Earlier, Obi had commended the Federal Government on road reforms and called for more collaboration with states in roads construction, to enhance social and economic activities in the country. (NAN)

http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/23341/2012/04/30/second_niger_bridge_construction_begins_sept_minister.html

Slightly dated, but relevant news.

If Ndigbo can get a second Niger Bridge; a functioning Int'l Airport at Enugu; a functioning River Port at Onitsha; and have the gully erosion and failed major roads in the South East seen to (as is presently going on), then it would prove more than anything else the importance of having a President in Abuja that is sympathetic to issues affecting Ndigbo; or one that is fair-minded at the very least. [b]THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE [/b]since the late 60's up to 2007, and with the exception of Yaradua, they've all been wicked/ethnocentric/calculating/devious/Igbo-hating bastards.

Shikena.

PROUD-IGBO:
If Ndigbo can get a second Niger Bridge; a functioning Int'l Airport at Enugu; a functioning River Port at Onitsha; and have the gully erosion and failed major roads in the South East seen to (as is presently going on), then it would prove more than anything else the importance of having a President in Abuja that is sympathetic to issues affecting Ndigbo; or one that is fair-minded at the very least. THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE [/b]since the late 60's up to 2007, and with the exception of Yaradua, [b]they've all been wicked/ethnocentric/calculating/devious/Igbo-hating bastards.

Shikena.

The bolded is part of why we should make sure that Jonathan completes all the projects he promised us before 2015. If he does so, we will support him again for another term from 2015 -2019. Peter Obi seems to be close to him, so he should continue to extract concessions from him.

The next governor of Anambra state should make sure that he builds an International airport at Onitsha.

I expect that Enugu state governor Sullivan Chime should pick up the challenge of completing the Enugu Inernational Airport to international standards, and I also hope that Imo governor Rochas Okorocha would upgrade Owerri to international airport. We must not depend on the FG to complete them, or we may wait for ever. This is Nigeria where you go get what you want, or you never get it!
I am fully convinced that our economic revival and emancipation would be boosted immensely by the international airports. With a friendly federal government who may even add some funds, now is the time to complete those airports.
I really hope that intelligent Igbo administrators would connect to the intent of the airports and see to it that they are put in place.
Our status in Nigeria would never change until we have them.

Who said Obi is not working? Great news.