The Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, has said the second Niger Bridge will be completed in April. Mr. Fashola announced this while inspecting the bridge alongside the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and other senior government officials on Tuesday.
The Minister added that in April, the high-tension transmission lines across the bridge would also be relocated leading to power disruptions in the area for two weeks.
He noted that the high-tension cables are too low for the bridge.
Fashola said, “April is the completion date. Earlier, I had said it will end in February or at the latest, end of the first quarter.
“Before now, some people said there was no bridge, but now we are walking on the bridge. This is real now. Plus or minus, when we cross the Ts and dot the Is, we will complete it as promised — 11kms and 12kms on both sides of the bridge.
“Power will be shut down for two weeks to enable the generating and transmission companies as well as the ministry of power to work seamlessly on the project.
“We plead that those affected will cooperate as nobody will be shut out permanently.”
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who was also with Fashola, said the bridge would be commissioned in October.
Ngige said, “What is important is for the bridge to be completed and commissioned in October. The speed, the environmental concerns taken care of, and the quality of the bridge to last for many decades are worth celebrating.”
The Federal Controller of Works in Anambra State, Adeyemo Ajani added that the pace of work has been impacted negatively by the outbreak of Coronavirus.