The Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha will open the entire South East Zone for new business opportunities that meet 21st century global economy.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated
this during the official commissioning of the facility in Onitsha, which was
performed via Zoom by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Explaining that the new business vista to be afforded
South East by the bridge will first arise from reduction of long man-hours
hitherto lost to snarling traffic gridlock in Onitsha as gateway to other
states in the zone.
According to Fashanu, Second Niger Bridge will make it
easier for travellers to spend a few minutes, instead of hours to cross River
Niger which covers about 1.5 kilometres.
Fashanu said that Loko-Oweto Bridge, which the federal
government also commissioned on Tuesday, would reduce travel time to Abuja by
four hours.
“Today, Mr. President will connect Benue to Nasarawa on the Loko – Oweto Bridge, Cross River to Benue on Ikom Bridge and Anambra to Delta on the Second Niger Bridge, and literally connect many parts of Nigeria to themselves. In the same vein, we link Kano to Kaduna on the Kaduna-Kano highway and impact Zamfara, Bayelsa and Anambra directly through the Secretariats. This is a story of development and a story of people, all of which cannot be fully told here.
''But I will try; starting from the president and the commander-in-chief whose leadership, support and opportunity afforded us to serve has made all these possible. The story of the cabinet members from the vice president and my colleague ministers whose support for the various memoranda in council made these projects possible. Some of those memoranda you spent hours to debate and approve have yielded some fruit.
''Our legislators in
both chambers of parliament were part of the story. They appropriated, they
approved where necessary and oversight all through the project; but they never
obstructed. The state governors, their commissioners and their traditional
rulers are a story that must be told about how federal, state government and
traditional institutions can and must work together to deliver development and
prosperity,” he said.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion were Governor of Anambra
State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma,
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel
Iwuanyawu, among others.
It will be recalled that Second Niger Bridge links Anambra and
Delta States to other states in western and northern parts of the federation.
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