The Second Niger Bridge has been opened to vehicular
movement, in line with the federal government’s plan to ease traffic in the
south-east during the festive season.
The bridge was officially opened on Thursday at midnight,
but commuters didn’t start plying the route till about 9am.
When TheCable visited, Kufre Sunday, a tricycle driver from
Akwa Ibom state, described the bridge as “attractive”.
“This road is very encouraging. It is going to reduce road
accidents. The travellers will enjoy it. It is a welcome development. The
government has done very well,” Kufre said.
Albert Ugo, another motorist, thanked the president for
contracting a “reputable construction company” to undertake the road project.
The bridge, he said, will boost the economy of the
geopolitical zone.
Ifechukwu Emmanuel, a passenger from Anambra, said although
he is a strong critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, he cannot
deny the “good work” done on the bridge.
“It will be very
unfair to criticise a good work. The president has done well in this aspect. I
don’t want to know how long they have been on this project. The most important
thing is that we now have a new brand Second Niger Bridge,” he said.
“I urge the president to also look into the issue of
insecurity and hunger in the land. This place is no longer safe for anyone.”
Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, had
earlier said the bridge will be put to use for one month during the yuletide.
The minister said the bridge would be closed to traffic on
January 15, 2023.
“Sometimes, it just takes this to cross the bridge because
the road bridge has been outgrown by our population and our economic signs. So
a lot of people have talked about the solution but the Buhari administration
decided to implement one, which is to build the bridge, whatever it took,” he
said.
“So wherever the funds came from investments, income, from
our oil assets, repatriations of some oil assets that were stolen which came in
from the US. The result is now what we see.”
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