Buhari To Commission Second Niger Bridge On Tuesday

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday virtually commission the Second Niger Bridge which connects Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State.

Naija News gathered that the N336 billion bridge project will be commissioned alongside six other road projects by the president via an online platform, Zoom.

Sources in the Ministry of Works who spoke with The PUNCH confirmed that the President would commission the legacy project virtually.

The source said, “The Second Niger bridge will be commissioned on May 23. The president will perform the ceremony via Zoom. Also, six other road projects will be commissioned.”

Speaking further, the source stated that the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is not part of the six-road project scheduled to be commissioned despite promises by the federal government to ensure its completion before April 30.

He also disclosed that officials of the ministry are already in Asaba, the Delta state capital as preparations are in top gear for the occasion tomorrow.

Recall that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had announced the completion of the bridge at a briefing in October 2022 after almost five decades of failed promises by successive administrations.

On December 15, 2022, the Federal Government also opened the Second Niger Bridge for use to ease traffic in the South-East during the festive season.

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

Patterned after the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, the Second Niger Bridge, no doubt, has all the paraphernalia of a modern bridge with its smooth surface and spacious terrain to allow for a pleasurable ride.