posted
here we see again Obasanjo government in action. The Bridge has been bad for so many years. They didi not build a new one to relieve it before repairs. Now they have cut off Ndi Igbo from the wharf and other important movement, for one month without providing adequate alternative, only emergeny ferry. From one month it will become 2. its incredible. Only in nigeria !
Niger bridge shut
•Ferries for emergencies
RIVER Niger bridge at Onitsha, Anambra State has been closed for one month.
The closure takes immediate effect to allow for immediate rehabilitation of the bridge which for years has been said to be rapidly deteriorating.
Indeed, experts have been warning that the five kilometre facility which is the major gateway from other parts of the country to the South East and South South faced possible collapse.
The wholesale repair work contracted to Setraco Nigeria Limited, a construction giant will commence on Friday and is expected to be concluded by September 30, 2005.
The work will gulp N2 billion.
But to avoid a looming chaotic traffic situation given the ever busy nature of the bridge, government officials have worked out a schedule to ensure that the inevitable inconveniences to road users on that axis are reduced to the barest minimum.
Minister of Works, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, who briefed newsmen on the closure, said the bridge would be shut from 11 p.m. to 4. a.m. daily through out the repair period.
"This is to enable us effect massive and special repair works on the current bridge following reports from our engineering team that some major bolts and iron rods had been vandalised," he said.
Ogunlewe also, said that during the closure period, a standby ferry would be made available to convey emergency traffic across the River Niger.
The Minister called on the public to programme their journeys over the Niger Bridge at Onitsha to fit into the hours of its closure.
"The good that will come out of the repair work outweights the inconvenience motorists will suffer during the closure. That is why we are appealing to travellers to be patient with us," he said.
He said the repair was only a short term solution as plans were on to build a new bridge across the river in 2006 to complement the existing one constructed in the 1960s.
Motorists and experts including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), had persistently raised alarm over the crumbling state of the bridge.
They blamed the situation on lack of periodic maintenance in view of the heavy traffic it bears every day.
Government, however, attributed the facility’s worsening condition to "aluminium seekers," who it said loosened and stole its bolts and props for selfish purposes.
In recent time, travellers to and from the South East have complained of unusual vibrations on the bridge. They are also worried about the several hours of productive time lost in traffic snarl around the Niger Bridge head.
This prompted government to take a look at the suggestion for a second bridge. Estimated to cost N50 billion, the new bridge already contracted out, is to be built through a public-private sector partnership under the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.
Gitto Constructions General Nig Ltd, a multi-national firm, is said to be one of the major companies which had indicated interest in the project.
In the estimation of experts, the closure of the old Niger Bridge during the rehabilitation exercise, would create serious business dislocation among people who ply the route and losses to run into several billions of naira.
posted
Is there any way to get the records of Abuja Assembly. How can we determine if any of our so called political representatives ever said a word on the River Niger Brigde.
Has any Igbo elected politician stood up in Abuja to demand and threaten brimestone and hellfire if that brigdge is not dualized. Has any of them gone on hungerstrike over anything that the Igbo desire so much.
The same goes for Enugu International airport. Any hunger strike? Any placards and demonstrations engineered by these so called elected Igbo politicians? Do we even ask pertinent pointed questions to Obasanjo?
Have the Easterners and indeed Igbos had the common sense to form a journalistic cabal to ask very sharp, pugnatious questions to get things done in the East/Igboland?
Do we even ever demanded that the entire Eastern Nigeria should recieve as much as Lagos, Ibadan, Kano and now Abuja had recieved in terms of federal government presence? Have we? Have we?
I am awfully sorry for ourselves.
___________________ Speak softly, but carry a big stick - Teddy Rosevelt. Posts: 18 | From: New Berlin, WI | Registered: Apr 2003
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RIVER Niger Bridge, the gate way to South East and South South zones will be totally shut for at least two days to facilitate rehabilitation of the bridge.
Similarly the non-arrival of engineers involved in the proposed repair of the bridge has raised apprehension among travellers and transporters on the actual date for commencement of work.
However, an expatriate staff of the construction firm Setraco Nigeria Limited, who pleaded anonymity, told Daily Champion that the bridge will be completely shut down for at least two days, during which period it will be suspended from the pillars.
According to him no vehicle would be allowed to pass the bridge during the period of its suspension until repair work has been completed.
He said, however, that a jetty has been provided at both ends of the bridge with a barge to take vehicles and people across the river.
The barge, he said, will also be used for the suspension of the bridge adding that complete closure will only last for two days, while the 11pm to 4am will last about a month.
Meanwhile, arrival of engineers involved in the rehabilitation of the bridge has raised apprehension among travellers and transporters on the actual date for commencement of the announced temporary closure of the bridge.
The apprehension is to enable both groups plan their movement and not get stuck up if rehabilitation kicks off suddenly.
The engineers, expected to arrive last Friday from Holland, were yet to be sighted further delaying work on the N2.5 billion contract.
Users of the bridge are bracing up for hard times following indications that it would be totally shut for two days immediately the engineers arrive on site.
Works Minister Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe had Wednesday hinted of temporary closure of the bridge from 11.00pm to 4.am.
Skeletal work has commenced on the bridge with the construction of alternative route for the diversion of vehicles and arrival of barges last week.
Government had awarded contract for the rehabilitation of the Niger Bridge for N2.5 billion out of which N1.5 has been released. The bridge which was commissioned in 1965 has not undergone any major repair since then in spite of vandalisation and weathering effects.
Rehabilitation of the bridge, according to sources especially traders in Onitsha, should be a prelude to the construction of the second Niger Bridge which has become imperative due to increasing traffic flow on the existing facility. Indeed, government said work on the second bridge will kick off next year.
posted
Police keep vigil as rehabilitation of Niger Bridge begins
By Austin Ogwuda Posted to the Web: Monday, August 01, 2005
Asaba — DELTA State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom has ordered a 24-hour security beef-up at the Niger Bridge Head, Asaba, following the ongoing rehabilitation work on the bridge which kicked off last Friday. A visit to the Bridge Head, weekend, showed a heavy police presence.
The Federal Government had recently alerted the general public that the bridge would be closed to traffic with effect from July 29 to September 30 this year between the hours of 11:00 pm to 4:00 am in the morning daily to enable repair work go on unhindered. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Delta State Police Command, Miss Olabisi Okuwobi told Vanguard in Asaba yesterday that “the Commissioner of Police actually lectured the DPO (Divisional Police Officer) in charge of Asaba Bridge Head and other DPOs within the Asaba metropolis to keep an eye there and be extra vigilant while the rehabilitation work lasts.
“You know it is a Federal Government project and we must ensure that we (police) protect government property as well as ensuring that the lives and property of people especially the travellers that might be trapped on the way during the hours of the closure. We are also there to protect the lives and property of the company carrying out the job,” stated the PPRO.
Meanwhile, an Asaba-based expert in Structural Engineering, Professor Paul Okwuobi has commended the Federal Government for embarking on the rehabilitation, describing it as long overdue.
Okwuobi, a former Head of Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Benin (Uniben) who had consistently raised alarm over the imminent collapse of the age-long bridge said “let me tell you that bridge is being overloaded.
TRADERS in Anambra State yesterday urged the contractor handling rehabilitation of River Niger bridge to adhere to the contractual agreement to mitigate hardship on road users.
It has also been said that it will cost the Federal Government about N30 billion to dredge River Niger.
An expatriate staff of Setraco Nigeria Limited, the construction firm handling the rehabilitation had hinted that the bridge would be completely shut for the first two days and subsequently from 11.00 p.m. - 4.00 a.m. everyday.
But in a swift reaction, President General of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Mr Sylvester Odife cautioned the contractor not to extend the closure, after the initial two days, beyond the five hours earlier announced for each day.
In an interview with Daily Champion, Odife said failure to adhere to the schedule will precipitate unprecedented traffic-build-up on both sides of the bridge.
Such a situation, he said, will not only adversely affect the economic fortunes of the South-East, South-South and North Central zones, but inflict psychological torture on commuters.
The bridge was expected to have been closed last Friday but it was not, due to the non-arrival of the core engineers, about six of them, who will handle the rehabilitation job.
When Daily Champion visited the bridge yesterday morning, Setraco workers said that they were still expecting the engineers. However, skeletal work was going on, especially the tarring of the alternative routes to the jetties and filing of rust irons in the bridge.
Odife said that the rehabilitation of the bridge should be as brief as possible so that the users of the facility will not face too much hardship. He however commended President Olusegun Obasanjo for his determination in rehabilitating the bridge.
The ASMATA president also said that their expectation was high that the Federal Government would commence the construction of second Niger Bridge and equally hasten the completion of the Onitsha - Owerri road with the same vigour.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Rabiu Abubakar, has said the dredging of River Niger will cost about N30 billion.
He made this known in Lokoja last weekend, adding that the dredging, scheduled for November, was aimed at opening up about 596 kilometres of the Niger River channel from Warri, Delta, to Baro in Niger.
Abubakar noted that the dredging was also aimed at reactivating water ports and constructing new jetties to boost commercial activities along the coastal areas.
Emphasising the importance of the dredging, expected to be completed within two years, he said "President Olusegun Obasanjo is personally interested in the project."
Abubakar said contrary to insinuations that the dredging had political undertone, the effort was aimed at effective water transportation to develop agriculture and the economic well-being of riverine communities.
He appealed for private sector participation in the waterways sector "rather than leave the exploitation of the potentials to government alone."
"Besides, it is the cheapest means of transportation and the most environmentally-friendly," he added.
Abubakar said it was not good for the country to rely too much on road transportation "since effective water transportation will help to boost agriculture and open-up more rural areas."
posted
Why, after over FORTY WHOLE YEARS of independence, is Nigeria still hiring EXPATRIATES to build simple things like bridges? Are there no indigenous civil engineers or engineering firms? And if not, why? This dependence on foreign technology and companies is a major factor in keeping Nigeria in perpetual 3rd world status! Every nation should seek to develop its own technological base not only to serve itself, but to compete with other nations!
Tufiakwa! Sadly enough, the number of Nigerians who see this state of affairs as an embarrassment is probably very low.
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posted
If a COMPLETE SEPERATION of Biafrans from nigeria does not occur now, in ten years you'll still be asking why simple things cannot be built by Africans in nigeria. The nigerians do not have a culture of building things, and too perochial to let Biafran know-how work for them - they call it Igbo domination. Their preference is to import from yandon or saudi arabia. That's why.
___________________ achieve Biafra and show the difference Posts: 642 | From: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
‘1,680 pieces of iron bars removed from Niger bridge’
By Austin Ogwuda Posted to the Web: Wednesday, August 03, 2005
ASABA — PROJECT Manager of SETRACO Construction Company handling the rehabilitation work on the Niger Bridge, Mr. Jay Jay Cosme says the bridge was badly vandalized with a total of 1,680 pieces of iron bars, numerous bolts and nuts found missing before they moved in.
When this reporter went to see extent of work on the bridge yesterday, there was evidence that work had commenced in earnest, while men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) were on hand to ensure free flow of traffic. Also a ferry was found stationed at the Asaba end of the bridge.
Fielding questions from newsmen in Asaba yesterday, Setraco's project Manager said the company had decided to introduce the method of welding all the bolts and nuts together "to avoid future vandalization."
He also promised that the company was working assiduously day and night to complete the job four months ahead of the expected one-year deadline, which it was given by the Federal Government.
According to him, "the vandalisation was massive. We found brazing bars, that is, iron bars. They (vandals) removed 1,680 pieces of the bars which we (Setraco) have already replaced. They removed the nuts and they removed the bars and we have replaced the bolts and the nuts. We welded all the bolts and nuts to avoid future vandalization.
"Infact, the bridge was seriously damaged. This is metallic bridge and if you start to remove the metals, the bolts and nuts, of course you are putting the bridge in damage."
When this reporter visited the bridge yesterday morning, work was ongoing on the sides and under.
DRIVERS and passengers plying the Onitsha, Anambra State Niger Bridge have rejected the use of the ferry brought by the Setraco Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the construction project, for fear of being drowned.
This happened as the state governor, Dr. Chris Ngige lambasted politicians for claiming credit for the rehabilitation of the Niger Bridge.
Daily Champion investigation at the bridge yesterday revealed that the drivers and passengers afraid that the ferry would capsize in the course of crossing the river, preferred to wait till the bridge is opened early in the morning.
A staff of the construction company told Daily Champion that the closure of the bridge commenced last Saturday night from 11.00 p.m, but said that when the vehicles lined up to enter the ferry, each driver wanted the other to enter first but none did and they eventually returned to wait for the completion of the jerking of the bridge which ended at about 3.00 a.m.
The closure of the bridge, Daily Champion learnt, will continue till the next two months when the entire stretch of the bridge would have been jerked for proper repair works.
But Governor Ngige speaking during a radio programme, commended President Olusegun Obasanjo and Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe for the rehabilitation work at the bridge.
Ngige who claimed that the repair at the bridge was at his instance, promised that he will continue to monitor the level of work on the project.
A luxury bus driver, Mr Lucky Nwachukwu, said that although he has not been caught up with the closure, he also will not allow his bus and passengers to be ferried across the Niger, rather he would prefer waiting for the opening of the bridge early morning instead of risking the lives of his passengers.
Nwachukwu said that most of the passengers from this part of the country are not conversant with river and therefore would resist any attempt to cross through the ferry when they have an alternative.
He said that it has even become more difficult to ferry passengers now with recent boat capsize at Ogbaru where a lot of people lost their lives.
The closure of the bridge would have taken place as from July 29 but was delayed, according to sources, due to late arrival of six expatriate engineers who will do the jerking of the bridge.
After the rehabilitation, the bridge according to the Federal Director of Works, Mr. David K. Jime, would accommodate 45 tones as against the present 30 tones for which the bridge was initially designed.
The bridge which rehabilitation will gulp about N2.5 billion was built in 1962 by a French firm, Dumez
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