President Muhammadu Buhari has finally completed the second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State.
This is coming almost after five decades of failed promises by successive administrations.
However, this is a good news for the people in the community as the bridge was constructed across the River Niger, the bridge connects Asaba, Delta State capital, with Ogbaru in Anambra State.
The length of the bridge is 1.63 kilometres, while the adjoining roads from Oko Amakom in Delta State to the bridge and from the Onitsha end of the bridge to Obosi interchange brought it to about 12 kilometres.
The Buhari administration will be remembered for completing the bridge and similar other projects across the country.
The second Niger Bridge represents a strategic national infrastructure with great socio-economic prospects for the South-east states and indeed, the entire nation.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan once said that the bridge would be “an important economic artery that will connect the great markets of Onitsha and Aba, as well as the industrial hub of Nnewi and beyond, to both the northern and southern parts of the country.” We agree with Jonathan’s assessment and commend his successor for summoning the political will to fund the project till completion.
For years, experts on bridge construction had warned that the aging first Niger bridge is a disaster waiting to happen.
The prediction has not changed on the bridge which has become a byword for traffic congestion. Daily, the 1.4-kilometre stretch is subjected to traffic jams and gridlock, particularly during festive periods.
This was something the engineers did not envisage when the bridge was constructed decades ago.
For many commuters also, crossing the bridge could be torturous, beyond the vital hours lost in vehicular traffic, with exposure to all kinds of anxiety, risks, and dangers, including frequent attacks by criminals who operate freely, particularly under the cover of darkness.
That is why construction of the second bridge has become very significant.
