For decades, the Second Niger Bridge has been a point of contention, especially for the people of the South-East region of Nigeria. Many politicians at the presidential level have used the bridge as a point of agenda to selfishly garner votes from the people of the region. For years, the construction of the bridge was proposed and later stalled for some reason.
On October 19, 2022, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, confirmed that the construction of the Second Niger Bridge has now reached its completion stage. However, there is a problem. The access road at the Asaba end (a four-kilometre interchange road) and Onitsha end (a seven-kilometre link road) are yet to be constructed, which Fashola claimed was delayed due to the recent flooding in the region.
Despite these setbacks, the Federal Government has ordered the opening of the bridge for use from December 15, 2022, to January 15, 2023. This is to, according to the government, save lives and alleviate the gridlock at the ever-busy First Niger Bridge during the Yuletide season.
What is Second Niger Bridge?
The Second Niger bridge is a Federal Government of Nigeria project that crosses the Niger river between the cities of Asaba, the capital of Delta State, and Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra State. The bridge is 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) long and furnished with other ancillary infrastructure, including a 10.3-kilometre (6.4 mi) highway, the Owerri interchange and a toll station all at Obosi, Anambra State.
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The Second Niger Bridge is being funded through the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) created by President Muhammadu Buhari and managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Upon its full completion and opening, it is expected to offload the burdens of the overloaded First Niger Bridge, which was constructed in the 1960s.
The contract was awarded to the Julius Berger construction company. Construction includes two secondary bridges at Amakom Village Road and Atani Road, approach roads from Asaba and Onitsha, a new cloverleaf interchange at Onitsha-Owerri Road, and a toll station.
History of the Second Niger Bridge
The Second Niger Bridge was first proposed by the then-candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Shehu Shagari, during the Second Republic. In 1987, General Ibrahim Babangida challenged the local engineers to design The Second Niger Bridge, following a warning from the then Minister for Works and Housing Abubakar Umar about the weakening state of the First Niger Bridge.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers subsequently designed and delivered a master plan for the project. Unfortunately, the addition of the East-West railway line to the project and events that ended the Babangida government stalled the plan. Since then, the project received little attention from subsequent military governments until 1999, when civilian rule was restored following the election of Olusegun Obasanjo.
Obasanjo promised to deliver a Second Niger Bridge, but his administration did not carry out the promise until five days before he handed over power to the then-incoming President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, when he flagged off the project in Asaba. Yar’Adua’s administration effectively inherited a ₦58.6 billion proposed for a six-lane, 1.8 km tolled bridge, which was to be completed in three-and-half years. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) was supposed to finance the project, with 60 per cent of the funding coming from the contractor, Gitto Group; 20 per cent from the Federal Government, and 10 per cent from the Anambra and Delta State Governments. But the death of Yar’Adua halted the project.
In August 2012, the Federal Executive Council under President Goodluck Jonathan approved a contract worth ₦325 million for the final planning and design of the bridge. During the campaign for the 2011 presidential election, Jonathan promised to complete the bridge before 2015, if elected into office. He even vowed to go into exile if he did not complete the project at an Onitsha town hall meeting on August 30, 2012.
But it was the President Muhammadu Buhari administration that delivered on that promise after cancelling the initial contract in 2015. On December 15, 2022, the bridge was opened to enable commuters to travel safely during the Christmas season. Commuting stops on January 15, 2023, to enable the completion of the bridge.
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Who started the Second Niger Bridge?
Although the master plan for the Second Niger Bridge was delivered in 1987 by the Babangida military regime, construction of the bridge officially started on September 1, 2018, under the Buhari administration.
Who paid for the Second Niger Bridge?
The Second Niger Bridge project was initially proposed to be funded under a public-private partnership (PPP) in which the initial contractor, Gitto Group, will provide 60 per cent, the Federal Government will provide 20 per cent while the governments of Delta and Anambra states will each provide 10 per cent.
However, the project was officially funded by the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) under the Buhari administration. The PIDF is a special fund managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). With capital from the NSIA and funds recovered from the Abacha loot, the Second Niger Bridge was financed and constructed to its current level.
Meanwhile, it is important to note that the Second Niger Bridge is one of three projects being funded by the PIDF. The other two projects are the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, said the Federal Government has spent over N157 billion on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge out of the initial cost of N206 billion.
Importance of the Second Niger Bridge
Onitsha main market
The Second Niger Bridge will ease traffic flow for the overused First Niger Bridge.
Improve road safety.
Foster economic activities between the South-East and the rest of the country, especially the South-South, thus boosting Nigeria’s economy. For instance, Onitsha is the economic hub of commerce and industry in the South-East. The city hosts the largest market in Africa in terms of geographical size and volume of goods. Therefore, completing the Second Niger Bridge will open the city to more economic activities that will be beneficial to the entire country.
Offers the opportunity for integration. Nigeria is currently divided along ethnic and religious lines. With the completion of the bridge, more economic activities will follow which provides the opportunity for people from all over the country to integrate.
Completion of the bridge will finally vindicate the Buhari administration which has come under various criticisms for the failed promises. It will be a positive legacy that the administration will leave behind, especially in the South-East region.
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