Stakeholders tackle FG over 2nd Niger Bridge project

For not seeing any tangible efforts of the Federal Government in the direction of the second Niger Bridge, stakeholders, mostly from the eastern part of the country, have decried the lacklustre attitude of government in the construction of the bridge.
The stakeholders who spoke independently believe that government is tactically waiting to use the bridge as a campaign tool for the forthcoming elections. They said that the inability of government to finish this project since 1970 when it was first touted has remained a scar on the government’s policy of three Rs, the policy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation.
According to Chief Josiah Olumba, Coordinator, People’s Patriotic and Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, the bridge has become a bait for getting eastern Nigerians to vote for a particular party during elections. He said that during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the bridge was contracted out but nothing was done on it.
“When Buhari came, he revoked the contract, but recently, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) opened renegotiation on the issue and yet it has remained the same; no action.
“I want to appeal to the National Assembly to give this project the kind of seriousness it deserves by monitoring the progress of work on it from time to time. This is the only way we can know whether work is ongoing on or not. We are getting totally disenchanted by the whole thing,” he said.
Another respondent, Chief John Obodoechina, said the government of the day would be doing the country a very big honour if the project is completed on schedule considering its economic importance.