The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed that Second Niger Bridge, which was billed for completion in February but was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and EndSARS protests, is now at 91% completion and is on course of completion.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this disclosure while speaking during the Special Weekly briefing which was coordinated by the Presidential Communications Team at the State House Abuja on Thursday.
The briefing was to enable him provided further updates on key collaborations between the Federal Government and the State Governments in the implementation of some of the major reforms being executed by the Ministry and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF).
According to him, no fewer than 1,486 people have been directly employed for the Second Niger Bridge while another 8,110 indirect jobs have been created.
He puts the cost of three major PIDF projects at N1.3 trillion. The projects are Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway (375km): N797 billion, Second Niger Bridge (11.59km): N206 billion and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (127km): N310 billion.
On when the projects will be completed, Fashola said that Lagos Ibadan Express Way and Second Niger Bridge are on course to be completed this year 2022, while the main Carriageway of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano expressway is scheduled for completion by Q2 2023, adding that ancillary works will be completed later.
His words; ‘Just last week, I was briefing about the challenges we are facing on the Anambra side of the second Niger bridge, where people are being told not to go to work or to sit at home on Mondays. So every day that we don’t work there is time lost. So if you look at a 52 week year that does not start on a Monday, you will have probably 52 more days, so we lose 52 days work, that is a lot work to lose on a construction site.’
He also disclosed that power outage for between seven to 10 days will happen on the Anambra side of the bridge to enable them reinstall transmission lines.
The minister said: ‘On the Second Niger Bridge, we are going to shut down power supply from one of the power plants for maintenance, but that will provide us the opportunity to quickly replace all the transmission lines because we have built and raised the level which is now dangerously close to the Transmission Line so they have to reinstall them.
‘So power outage will happen I think for a week to 10 days, we’re working with our partners in the ministry of power and also the Gencos to have this done. Again, these are challenges.’
On whether the Second Niger Bridge is a PPP arrangement, Fashola disclosed that discussions were yet to ce concluded with regards to that.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK