Since time immemorial, it has been common knowledge that collapse of infrastructure is one of the critical challenges that has stunted the growth of our economy.

Every electioneering season, all parties recognise this fact and structure their campaign around it.

Cheta Nwanze, Lead Partner for SBM Intelligence runs us through the history relating to the use of this bridge for politicking.

According to him:

“The Second Niger Bridge was first proposed during the 1978/79 political campaign season by then-candidate Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN)

In 1987, after warning about the state of the existing Niger Bridge by his Minister for Works and Housing, Abubakar Umar, General Ibrahim Babangida challenged local engineers to design the Second Niger Bridge.

President Olusegun Obasanjo promised to deliver a second Niger bridge. However, his administration did not carry out any major activity on the project until five days before he handed over to the then-incoming administration of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, when Obasanjo flagged off the project in Asaba.

The incoming administration effectively inherited the ₦58.6 billion proposed cost for a six lane, 1.8 km tolled bridge, which was to be completed in three-and-half years. The bridge was to be financed under a public private partnership (PPP) with 60 per cent of the funding coming from the contractor, Gitto Group; 20 per cent from the federal government; and 10 per cent each from the Anambra and Delta states.

Unfortunately, the politics surrounding the health, and subsequent death of President Yar’Adua did not allow for progress on the project. It wasn’t until August 2012, that the Federal Executive Council, under the Jonathan administration, approved a contract worth ₦325 million for the final planning and design of the bridge. During the 2011 general election campaign season, Jonathan had promised that if elected, he would deliver the project before the end of his term in 2015. At an Onitsha town hall meeting on the August 30, 2012, he promised to go on exile if he didn’t deliver on the project by 2015. However, the groundbreaking ceremony did not take place until March 10, 2014, a year before the 2015 general elections.”

Today, the bridge has become a reality. It will no longer be used as a campaign tool. We have solved that one and can move on to other things. This is progress.

Today, those who failed to record any score on infrastructure are going about telling voters that infrastructure does not matter.

They have introduced a new catchphrase: “human capital infrastructure”

And as usual those who they deceived before are deceived again...

ASAPFERG1:
lies..nobody goes to igboland apart from igbos

Hey you are not well travelled

Traders from far north nd nearby kogi state and benue state abuja and delta edo and yoruba land buy things in onitsha market

Seems you dont know how big onitsh market is....so sad you dont travel

Oga are you even a business person? Abi na government worker?

Grgton:
volume is low! Do you need some assistance??

See Where you are busy crying. Anambra will continue to be the most developed state in igboland, whereas Owerri will continue to be a glorified village with the worst roads in Southern Nigeria

Grgton:
he's actually saying the facts

See the Owerri the glorified village of the East but you have mouth to talk here. Envious bitter frustrated fellow.

Anambra has the best urban planning and best roads not just the east but the entire southern region. I am from imo but truth be told, OWERRI is a glorified village littered with dilapidated tiny roads and filth everywhere. Anambra is the most developed state in igboland.

ThinkSmarter:
Anambra is bigger than this mediocre.
Anambra should be at same page with Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Akwaibom in times of public infrastructure.
Anambra has the worst urban planning in the East.
Houses close to gutter, meandering and narrow inner streets.
Towns without trees. They got the most beautiful mansions though.

Awka is London compare to the glorified village that is Owerri

Picture: Owerri

Pacesetterz:


What about awka in d day?

I guess awka in d day will help lots of people see the squalor of a capital

Anambra has the best urban planning and best roads not just the east but the entire southern region. I am from imo but truth be told, OWERRI is a glorified village littered with dilapidated tiny roads and filth everywhere. Anambra is the most developed state in igboland.

Pacesetterz:

Beautiful mansions in squalor
Touts everywhere
Tiny bad roads
Even the road that leads to the spot where the drunkard of a past gov usually visits to get drunk is very bad. Soludo is trying to fix the roads
Of that street called abakiliki where his predecessor was always shutting down whenever he’s their to get drunk.
No street lights in Anambra. Could u believe Anambra uses generator diesel to power the few street lights left?
Open drainage here and there.
So many mentally challenged moving round the state. can go on and on. Umahi should buy Anambra and transform it pls

ZombieSlayer1:

Obi lives in Onitsha, I don't know why you urchins keep parroting this rubbish.
Igbos live everywhere, there's no city on earth you wont see an Igbo man so stop thinking there's anything special in that over-rated and overcrowded slum you call Lagos. If not for the fact that all the ports, business headquaters and international airport are located in Lagos, you think people will come there?
Rubbish

Igbos run away from their landlocked zone n want Nigeria to be like Anambla under Obi. I was there during his reign. I am tired of telling people how fake Obi is, sometimes u av to let people make mistake

post=117678641:
Lovely.

Pretty.

Beautiful

Onitsha is beautiful �

God bless every states in Nigeria.

Louder

Kranitte:
Onisha is an awesome place
.
meanwhile at a cheap price DM me for your logo and flyer design

More volume

Beautiful

Beautiful

ASAPFERG1:
lies..nobody goes to igboland apart from igbos

Why crying then??

Owerriboi:
Anambra has the best urban planning and best roads not just the east but the entire southern region. I am from imo but truth be told, OWERRI is a glorified village littered with dilapidated tiny roads and filth everywhere. Anambra is the most developed state in igboland.

Anambra is the most developed State in Igboland.

DennisEche:

Abakaliki under Dave Umahi looks better at night. Nothing enticing here

Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you. Honestly

Even though say Umahi don dey F up, the man really tried.

ASAPFERG1:
lies..nobody goes to igboland apart from igbos

Shows how shallow your thinking is . Smh

Tomek09:

Anambra is the most developed State in Igboland.

More volume please

OdefaGirl:
Beautiful

Volume please

ufuosman:
Beautiful

Louder

For me the best city now is Owerri, then Enugu and and now growing Abakiliki. Awka and Onitsha is doing well in buildings, but the urban roads needs facelift


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrI6rMSo0g0

Awka and Onitsha are the best cities in igboland followed by Enugu, Abakaliki and Owerri. That is why Anambra has the biggest economy in igboland. Umuahia is a glorified village while Aba is cesspit of dilapidated roads and filthy environment. Though Owerri and Aba shares the same outlook.

NwekereNdoki:
For me the best city now is Owerri, then Enugu and and now growing Abakiliki. Awka and Onitsha is doing well in buildings, but the urban roads needs facelift
https://www.yout.com/watch?v=qrI6rMSo0g0

Pictures: Owerri

Pictures: Onitsha

Check out the best planned city in igboland. Obodo amaka

Pictures: Awka

No where in the entire eastern region will you ever see road paved with underground covered drainage except Awka

This is Onitsha, the Lagos of the eastern Nigeria

OVB123:
Nice job but peter obi will do better. Vote obidient.

Better like he did in Anambra?

OVB123:
Nice job but peter obi will do better. Vote obidient.

Louder please

ThinkSmarter:
Anambra is bigger than this mediocre.
Anambra should be at same page with Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Akwaibom in times of public infrastructure.
Anambra has the worst urban planning in the East.
Houses close to gutter, meandering and narrow inner streets.
Towns without trees. They got the most beautiful mansions though.

How are you the opposite of your name On the same page with lagos as a former capital territory or on the same page with Kano and Akwa. Ibom because they earn equal allocation You go just come internet use your 50mb dey type rubbish

But dare not move alone at night where upper iweka urchins are high in crime

XerXerz:
Pictures: Onitsha

Check out the best planned city in igboland. Obodo amaka

This illiterate is busy showing us houses while pple are showing development,good roads with drainages etc

An illiterate will always be an illiterate. Bros we will like to take u on excursion out of Anambra to Owerri,akwaibom,Lagos,Abuja ,ph to see what development is all about.
U kip behaving like ur drunken master Obiano without sense

ThinkSmarter:
Anambra is bigger than this mediocre.
Anambra should be at same page with Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Akwaibom in times of public infrastructure.
Anambra has the worst urban planning in the East.
Houses close to gutter, meandering and narrow inner streets.
Towns without trees. They got the most beautiful mansions though.

U didn’t add they have the most timid pple in Anambra. Most of them are too backward in thinking that’s why development will never happen in Anambra. Stubborn pple who don’t like positive development that’s why their gov is finding it hard to turn the state to a Dubai.
The only chance they had to change the face of Anambra a bit was stolen by a drunkard gov and his 200 aides