Keeping Up with the Second Niger Bridge

Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that with the rapid ongoing construction of the iconic 1.6km Second Niger Bridge, a key national infrastructure, nearing completion, it reflects a promise made and kept which will bring immense benefit in easing traffic flow, improving road safety, and creating greater commercial opportunities 

When the concept of the 1.6km Second Niger Bridge came up, the whole idea was to ease traffic flow, improve road safety, and create greater commercial opportunities while strengthening connectivity in the entire region. Years down the line, the dream is gradually taking shape and is nearing completion.

Started in earnest in 2018, the bridge is quite strategic given that it lies over the River Niger, linking the South-east with the South-south and South-west.

Inspection
Given the April deadline to open the bridge up for use, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari accompanied by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and his Labour and Employment counterpart, Dr. Chris Ngige, recently went on an inspection of the bridge to ascertain the state of readiness. 

Also among the entourage was the Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr. Uche Orji; Director, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Adeyemo Ajani, who is the representative engineer for the Second Niger Bridge; Anambra Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng; 302 Artillery Regiment Onitsha, Col MB Abubakar;  Navy Captain GB Osubeni Naval Outpost and other top government functionaries.

The team were conducted round by the Managing Director of Julius Berger Plc, Mr. Lars Richter who led the walk from the proposed access roads at the Delta State end of the project and the Owerri interchange, nearing completion, also highlighted all the things that have been done and those still in the works.
Richter added that due to the difficult terrain, the company deployed special technology to stabilise the ground for the construction work to progress in earnest and provided environmental safety for all the communities around the area.

Initially billed for completion last month, but now rescheduled for October this year, the bridge would however before opened for use this April while the official inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari will take place come October.
Gambari, who expressed satisfaction with the work done so far, also said contrary to insinuations, the project is being funded 100 per cent by the Nigerian government.

Also expressing optimism that with the pace of work, the project would be delivered by the third quarter of the year, as promised by the contractors, he said it was commendable that contractors kept the pace while ensuring safety and environmental concerns in the execution of the project were sacrosanct.

In turn, the Works Minister said with the completion of concrete work on the bridge, it will make it possible for a walk from the beginning to the end while the minor alignments on the structure would be finished before the end of next month.

Fielding questions from journalists especially on power disruption, Fashola said the power disruption around the Owerri interchange will be for two weeks to enable the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) relocate and realign the high-tension transmission lines to pave way for the completion of the ring roads connecting the bridge from all routes.
He also disclosed that although the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved tolling of 12 highways in the country, the federal government had yet to decide on that of the Second Niger Bridge head, even as toll gates were being constructed at the site, adding that his priority was to complete the road before delving into tolling.

On the state of the bridge at the moment, Ajani, the representative engineer for the Second Niger Bridge said: “The bridge itself is 93 per cent completed, which means that all the sub-structure works have been completed and the super structure is ongoing.
” We have just 10 metres to link the entire bridge of 1.6km at the moment. We have commenced the finishing works, such as parapet and other auxiliary works on the bridge.
“All things being equal, the bridge will have been completed and ready for use by October this year. On completion, because it is not a stand-alone bridge, the ministry is thinking of doing a temporary connection via an access road around Oko in Delta, immediately after the old toll gate, to put it to immediate use, linking not just Onitsha, but also Owerri.”

Deriveables 
Initiated under the Goodluck Jonathan administration and sustained by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Second Niger Bridge is undoubtedly a key national infrastructure, with immense socio-economic benefits for the entire nation. 
This is because upon completion, the bridge will ease traffic flow, improve road safety, and create greater opportunities for local residents by advancing the commercial viability of the immediate area and regenerating economic life.

Scope of Works
The project is a 1.6 km (0.99 mi) long bridge. As a plus, it is also furnished with other ancillary infrastructure including a 10.3 km (6.4 mi) highway, Owerri interchange and a toll station all at Obosi Town, the first tolled federal bridge. 

While tolling is part of the contract agreement, the entire project was divided into three phases. While the first phase is about 11 kilometres, the second phase is the access road at the Delta end of the bridge and the other is from Obosi up to Enugu- Onitsha Expressway.This means that it will ensure a bypass of Onitsha for those who have no business there.

Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority Funding
Contrary to claims, the project is not being executed through public-private partnership (PPP), rather, through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
Summarily, the bridge would cost N206 billion while the servicing roads would cost an additional N208 billion, bringing the total value of the contract to N414 billion.

While the federal government funded part of the cost, the balance was sourced from the debt market as against the initially toutedpublic-private partnership (PPP) with 60 per cent of the funding coming from the  contractor, 20 per cent from the federal government and 10 per cent each from the Anambra and Delta State governments.

Now, funds are said to be disbursed on post verification of the interim certificates by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the independent technical advisers. 

Also, the contract sum remains constant without variation because it was stated clearly as part of the contract agreement.

First Niger BridgeBut before this Second Niger Bridge, there is the First Niger Bridge, which dates back to 1965.
 The bridge, which serves as a major road connection between Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State, is part of the Trans-African Highway between Lagos and Mombasa in Kenya, in addition to being the main East-west connection within Nigeria.

 For the region and the entire nation, the construction of the Second Niger Bridge is a promise made and fulfilled by the Buhari administration as it signals an end to the perennial traffic gridlock experienced on the First Niger Bridge, especially during festive periods.