Second Niger Bridge is on course , says Obi

FORMER governor of Anambra State and the Deputy Director General, South of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) National Campaign Council, Mr. Peter Obi has thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for reiterating his commitment to the Second Niger Bridge, as well as other projects his government is executing in the other parts of the country.

 Obi was speaking to newsmen after the campaign in Onitsha.

 The former governor, who expressed joy at the extent of work at the Second Niger bridge said: “During the South-East campaign, Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan led stakeholders from the zone to inspect the ongoing Second Niger Bridge. The seriousness of the company, Julius Berger Plc, handling the project is not in doubt as work already done is visible, including the pilling which is currently on.”   

 Obi said that due to the importance of the project to the South-East and Nigeria at large, that he, with some stakeholders inspected facilities of the company after Mr. President had left and were happy to realize, while at the Julius Berger’s Yard, that components for the bridge were also being fabricated.

  Obi said the visit had dispelled the falsehood being peddled by some people to the effect that the work was yet to start on the bridge. 

 He also appealed to those using it as a propaganda tool by asking where the bridge is to realize that the bridge is planned to be delivered in 4-5 years and that it was not up to a year it was flagged off for the question by the  the opposition All Progressives Congress(APC)  to  be valid. 

 “The APC Government criticizing has forgotten that they planned to deliver a Monorail for Lagos in two years, but  16 years after, the project is yet to be delivered”, Obi said.

Insisting that the project was one of the major feats by the PDP Government, Obi said: “All those who use the project to achieve cheap political point should know that it is on record that until the PDP Government, no other government, military or civilian, contemplated constructing the Second Niger Bridge. Further, until President Jonathan, no proper contract was entered on the bridge and no kobo was paid. More still, looking at the financing model, which is detailed and well-planned, there is no need to entertain fears about the project. ”

It will be recalled that during the inspection, Mr. President revealed that the Federal Government had released N10 billion for the project expected to gulp over N100 billion .

  The project is being supervised by the Federal Ministry of Works and the financing managed by the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Office.