The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has directed that pictures of President Bola Tinubu be displayed on the First Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta states.
Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday during an inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation of the bridge at the Onitsha end in Anambra State.
He directed the Senior Special Assistants to the President from the South-East and South-South to beautify and repaint the bridge with the President’s pictures, saying Tinubu deserved to be appreciated for his intervention in the rehabilitation project.
“But in the meantime, the South-South and South-East SSAs to Mr President, they have to beautify the bridge. They’ll beautify, they’ll colour it with the President’s pictures.
“Because the President deserves to be appreciated, you know, by the quick intervention and the quality of work that the President is doing in this place,” Umahi said.
The minister also ordered the removal of all illegal advertisements on the bridge, stressing that anyone seeking to advertise on the facility must first obtain approval from the Ministry of Works.
“And all illegal advertisements on the bridge, be removed. If anybody wants to advertise for anything, [they] have to apply to the Ministry of Works,” he said.
Umahi further disclosed that additional solar-powered lights would be installed on the bridge and ordered the completion of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
“He has now instructed that additional solar light should be done, and the CCTV should be completed, and the link to the Second Niger Bridge, immediately,” he said.
The minister also said he had constituted a committee to assess the condition of the bridge both above and below the waterline.
“And I’ve also set up a committee to go and do empirical evaluation of what is happening below the water level and above the water level under this bridge, and they will report to me before the end of work tomorrow,” he added.
The First Niger Bridge, which connects Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State, is undergoing rehabilitation following the vandalism of some of its structural components.
Umahi had earlier said the bridge would not be reopened until the rehabilitation work was completed, stressing that safety remained the priority before it is returned to full use.
