PAN-Igbo cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to name the newly-completed Second Niger Bridge after the former Ikemba of Nnewi Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Earlier this week, Nigeria's works and housing minister Babatunde Fashola announced that the federal government has completed the construction of the Second Niger Bridge linking Asaba in Delta State with Onitsha in Anambra State.
This second bridge built by Julius Berger, includes a 1,590-metre reinforced crossing with maximum spans of 150 meters, a motorway interchange and a toll station.
Applauding the Buhari administration for completing the bridge, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo secretary-general, said it was at least one pledged that was delivered on. He added that following the completion of the project, Ndigbo should forgive the current government for failing to deliver on all its other promises to the southeast geo-political zone.
Mazi Isiguzoro said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has praised the federal government’s giant strides in the realisation of the second Niger Bridge up to 95% according to the ministry of works. we received the cheery news from the minister Babatunde Fashola as the fulfilment of the government’s promises to Nigerians and Ndigbo in particular and it will strengthen the level of people’s confidence in expecting more from the Buhari’s administration.
“We are conscious of the fact that there are about 3.3 km of uncompleted road from the Asaba axis and 7km of uncompleted road from the Anambra axis of the Second Niger Bridge. We are hopeful that the contractors will expedite actions for the realization of 10.3 km roads from both axis of the roads to ensure that commuters and road users will enjoy the benefits of the Second Niger Bridge during the festival period of Christmas and New Year.
“This is a legacy project that Ndigbo will always refer to as the mother of all infrastructural facilities completed by Buhari’s government and should be renamed after Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu bridge from the proposed name as Buhari’s Bridge. Ndigbo are relieved of unbelievable treaties of previous governments on the Second Niger Bridge and also pardon President Buhari over his inability to fulfil other 2015 electoral promises, which included the revamping of the Enugu coal mine."
He added that the completion of the bridge, including a 35km bypass road linking Anambra and Delta States through a concession under a public private partnership scheme has restored the confidence of Ndigbo in the project. Work on this bridge began on September 1 2018 and is expected to be fully completed and ready for commissioning in December.