The federal government has reiterated that the
construction of the Second Niger, which would serve as a link between Edo,
Delta and Anambra States would be completed as scheduled in 2022.
The bridge, which was initiated by former President,
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is being constructed across the Niger River, and is
intended to ease traffic congestion spanning from Asaba to Ozubulu and Ogbaru
areas of Delta and Anambra States.
It’s a 1.6-kilometre infrastructure, including a
10.3 km highway and a toll station in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
involving Julius Berger, National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the
federal government.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,
who spoke during a recent inspection tour of projects in the South-east region,
stated that the infrastructure policy of the present administration was hitting
the right buttons across the country.
A statement by the Deputy Director (press) at the
Ministry of Works and Housing in Abuja, Stephen Kilebi, said the minister also
inspected the construction of Umunya Road in Awka, Anambra State, where he
expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work.
He charged the contractor to expedite action on the
project and the construction of the second Niger Bridge, which he said had
reached over 30 percent completion level.
The statement added that the minister restated that
the Second Niger Bridge would be completed in 2022, noting that it was capable of
aiding President Muhammadu Buhari's plan to lift over 100 million Nigerians out
of poverty.
During the tour of Amansea section of the rehabilitation
of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway in Anambra State; the Federal Secretariat in
Awka; National Housing Programme at Isiagwu; the Second Niger Bridge and the
National Housing Programme in Asaba, Delta State, Fashola said it was part of
the reasons the president had continued to emphasise his commitment to
infrastructure as the quickest way to massive employment.
According to him, “Policies have very diverse and
extensive impact on the people, so when the president says he wants to lift 100
million people out of poverty, he knows what he is saying and he knows some of
the right buttons like infrastructure to press.”
Fashola said the capacity of Nigerians, who will
work on the drains, electric fittings and other parts of the construction, would
be greatly improved, while the living standard of the community and its
environs would also be enhanced.
At the National Housing Programme site at Isiagwu,
the minister noted that he observed significant improvements, especially when
accessing the site compared to what occured when he first came to the site.
He said it was the long-term vision that the state
government would open up the community, noting that it was capable of changing
the entire face of the town.
While inspecting the Federal Secretariat project in
Awka, the Supervisor, Mr. Nnamdi Umeji, who conducted the minister round the
site said the project had reached 90 percent completion.
The statement stressed further that Fashola also
inspected the National Housing Programme in Asaba along the Benin-Asaba
expressway which had 12 contractors on site.
It added that the Project Supervisor, Mr. Godwin
Otobo, assured the minister that the first phase of the semi-detached houses
had reached almost 100 percent completion level.
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