President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commissioned the Second Niger Bridge in the South-East, six days to the end of his administration.
The Special Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement, saying the President also commissioned seven legacy projects completed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing across the country.
The Second Niger Bridge was conceptualised in 2005. In 2014, there was an attempt to begin the project through Public Private Partnership (PPP) but this was not successful. The construction began in 2016 with the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF).
Also commissioned were the Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Benue to link Benue to Nasarawa State and the Ikom Bridge in Cross River State. The road project is the completed section of the over 200 kilometres of Kano-Kaduna Dual Carriage Expressway and three new Federal Secretariats.
“The first of the Federal Secretariats at Awka is located at Executive Business District Layout, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State and is situated on 5.106 Hectares of land. The project was first awarded on 9th December, 2011 but was practically completed and taken over by the Ministry of Works and Housing on 14th July, 2022,” the statement read.
“The Secretariat has a total of 498 Office Spaces, a Conference Hall, four Committee Rooms, an Exhibition Hall, a Banking Hall, a Post Office and befitting Reception. In addition, the Secretariat has lift facilities, well laid out parking spaces and drainage, staff canteen, fire hydrants and other vital facilities.
“The second, Federal Secretariat Gusau, Zamfara State is located at Unguwan Dan Lawan, off Sokoto By-Pass Road, Gusau, Zamfara State. The project is situated on 7.5 Hectares of land and was awarded also on the 9th but was practically completed and taken over by the Ministry on 30th November 2022.
Guests stand for the national anthem during the commissioning of seven projects, including the Second Niger Bridge, in a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo: State House)
The commissioning Second Niger Bridge was widely lauded with some officials referring to it as the “Muhammadu Buhari Bridge”.
The Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, Bashir Ahmad, in a tweet on Tuesday, said, “The Second Niger Bridge is to officially be called/known as Buhari Second Niger Bridge. The Muhammadu Buhari Bridge is officially commissioned today, by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Similarly, the Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, tweeted that the decision to rename the bridge was taken by the five governors of the eastern region.
“Following consultations, the Governors of the South-East have agreed that the Second Niger Bridge shall be named the Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge,” his tweet read.
