Piling work on 2nd Niger Bridge 50% complete - Babatunde Fashola
- The minister of works, power and housing, Babatunde Fashola, says he doesn’t see any reason why work on the Second Niger Bridge will stop again
- He says the federal government is undertaking maintenance work at the existing Niger Bridge to ensure that it continued to serve the citizens
The federal government has put in place workable funding mechanism to ensure completion of the Second Niger Bridge, the minister of works, power and housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.
Fashola gave the assurance on Saturday, May 19, when he visited the site of the project at Oko near Asaba in Delta, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Fashola said the modified tax credit policy, the Sukuk Intervention Fund and the presidential infrastructural fund, among others, were aimed at funding infrastructure projects that would make the country globally competitive.
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“By my assessment, the piling work is now about 50 per cent.
"At the time I resumed work at the ministry, only the bridge was designed and work had stopped, but because of the commitment of the president, work has commenced.
“For the foreseeable future, I don’t see any reason why work will stop again because funding has been provided,” he said.
The minister said the contract for the construction of the already designed link roads from Asaba and Onitsha to the Second Niger Bridge would be awarded before the end of the year.
Fashola said the federal government was also undertaking maintenance work at the existing Niger Bridge to ensure that it continued to serve the citizens.
He said the ministry had received compensation claims in the realm of N3.44 billion to owners of land affected by the second Niger Bridge project.
“We have paid N1.8 billion. Our strategy is to pay in sections where contractors want to commence work immediately.
“We have also received additional claim of N1.5 billion. These claims are the impediment to the entire project,” the minister said.
On the Umunya section of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Fashola said the contract had been awarded, adding that work would start in earnest.
Fashola, who later visited Willie Obiano of Anambra, assured the governor that the federal government would collaborate with the state government on the inter-change projects by Revenue House, Awka.
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Also speaking, the federal controller of works in Anambra, Innocent Alumonah, explained that the second Niger Bridge was about 1.5 kilometers in length, with two spans of 40 meters each.
He said about 180 piles have been driven into the earth out of over 600 piles meant for the foundation of the bridge.
“The contractor has also put a lot of geo-textiles to the ground and constructed culverts as part of early works for the project which will soon be completed,” Alumunah said.
In a remark, Governor Willie Obiano commended federal government’s commitment to the Second Niger Bridge and appealed for the refund of N50 billion spent in rehabilitating federal roads in the state.
Obiano also appealed to the Federal Government on the Nnewi cluster power supply project as well as the proposed Regina Junction project on Enugu-Onitsha expressway.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the federal government is planning to clamp down on major opposition leaders anytime soon.
The spokesperson for the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the accusation on Saturday, May 19, in a statement made available to Legit.ng.
The party claimed that the federal government in addition to rounding up opposition leaders for alleged corruption, was also planning on detaining some leaders on charges bordering on treason.
It alleged that some judicial officers have been compromised for the purpose of handing out jail terms to members of opposition on cooked up charges.
A ride on the Abuja-Kaduna railway on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
