Six days before the conclusion of his presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari dedicated the Second Niger Bridge in the South-East.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the President Femi Adesina said the President also commissioned seven legacy projects completed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing around the country.
The concept for the Second Niger Bridge was developed in 2005. There was an attempt in 2014 to start the project through Public Private Partnership (PPP), however it was unsuccessful. The Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) funded the construction in 2016.
The Loko-Oweto Bridge, which connects Benue to Nasarawa State, and the Ikom Bridge in Cross River State were also completed. The road project includes a completed part of the 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.”
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.”
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Similarly, Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, tweeted that the decision to rename the bridge was made by the eastern region’s five governors.
“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.
