As stakeholders wait the details of the N14.4 billion contract awarded on Wednesday by the Federal Government for ‘early works’ on the Second Niger bridge, indications are rife that the contract may not be for full commencement of construction of the bridge. Ironically, the foundation stone for the second River Niger Bridge was laid by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Onitsha end of the bridge about two weeks before he left office in 2007.

On assumption of office in 2007, late President Umaru Yar‘Adua promised to build the bridge.

Similar promise was made by President Goodluck Jonathan when he assumed office in 2011. In fact he even awarded the contract at a cost of N117 billion. In March, 2013, Works Minister, Mike Onolememen, announced that the Federal Government was set to commence work on the second Niger Bridge before the third quarter of the year.

The Assistant Director of Information in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Muhammed Abdullahi, who dropped the hint on the on the award of the contract in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, stated that the contract was awarded to Julius Berger (Nig.) Ltd. at a total cost of N14.4 billion.

He said that the existing Niger Bridge, inaugurated on January 4, 1966, but due to due to immerse traffic arising from the enhanced economic activities on the South East/South West corridor, as well as the poor con- dition of the aging bridge, the federal government resolved to construct the second river Niger Bridge, adding that its continued serviceability could not be assured.

According to him, the idea of a Second Niger Bridge started way back in the late 1970s but its realisation is being delayed by several challenges. He added that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was resolute to the completion of the project.

Though the first groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the bridge done by former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and for obvious reasons, government did not take into consideration certain factors that caused the delay and to ensure the take-off of construction works; ex-President Goodluck Jonathan flagged off the construction of the strategic bridge on March 10, 2014, promising to complete it in a period of four years.

Then Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolemenen, said that the ministry in 2013 commenced phase I of the project, including survey, morphodynamics study and soil investigation. According to him, the project was to be executed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for a concession period of twenty five years.

The bridge is 1,590 meters long, that forms part of the 11.90kilometer length project, expected to be constructed in the sum of N117 billion of which the federal government was said to had contributed N40 billion.

He said: “To complement and add value to the second Niger Bridge, the Federal Government with the support of the World Bank, will commence the procurement and construction of two bye-passes to the second Niger Bridge, the first bye-pass will be a connecting dual carriage from arterial route A232, Benin-Asaba Expressway, by passing and its airport to link the second Niger Bridge, the second bye-pass will also be a connecting dual carriage from arterial route A23, Onitsha- Enugu Expressway to arterial route A6,Onitsha-Owerri Expressway which is a major part of the second Niger Bridge.”

The Federal Government in August 2015 suspended work on the project and ordered a probe into the transaction. Announcing the stoppage of work, the Director-General of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Aminu Diko, said the reasons range from the actual cost of the bridge, non-issuance of the Certificate of Compliance, non-compensation of the host community and non-adherence to due process in the award of contract were also responsible for the stoppage.

Diko said that after a closed- door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock that the bridge was one of the issues discussed in the meeting.

The outcome of the said probe is yet to be made public before the abridged contract awarded was announced, this is even as the Federal Ministry of Works is yet to explain how the original N117 billion project came down to just N14.4 billion.

Assistant Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze, Emeka Anagor, who spoke to our correspondent at the weekend, said the apex Igbo socio-cultural group will make a statement on the issue in due course, but stated that on his personal capacity, he felt that the announcement of the award of the contract by government was laced with ambiguities.

“What is the outcome of the probe, how is the project going to be executed, is it still to be based the initial Public Private Participation arrangement? All these questions deserve answers.”

According to him, the onus is on the Federal Government to explain what this N14.4 billion contract is for. “Is it for preliminary works on the project or is it the entire cost of the project? I, however, seriously doubt that what was announced was the entire cost of such a gigantic project, corruption or no corruption.

In any case, we are happy that it is in the government plan, even though with the announcement it is not yet clear what that plan is,” he said, adding that the people of the region will not be happy if they are again taken for a ride