The First Niger Bridge linking Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State has reopened to traffic after about 38 days of closure for emergency repairs.
Minister of Works Dave Umahi reopened the bridge on Thursday with federal and state representatives and traditional rulers from both states in attendance. He acknowledged that further work remained, even as traffic was allowed back onto the bridge.
The bridge closed on September 7 after vandalised structural components, including steelwork around its expansion joints, were discovered. The initial September 21 reopening deadline was extended because persistent rain and other delays held up the rehabilitation.
NaijaTrend previously reported the Works Ministry’s explanation that openings in the bridge divider were intended for emergency access and U-turns here. At that point, the ministry said reopening could take place before the end of the week, but had not announced that traffic had resumed.
Umahi commended the Anambra and Delta governors and contractor SKCC for their roles in the repairs. He said the work was intended to ease congestion and improve safety for road users.
The ceremony also had a political dimension. Umahi urged support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, while Vanguard reported that photographs of Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo, alongside APC banners, were displayed on the bridge railings.
Vanguard reported that painters were still applying finishing touches and that road markings had been repainted and closed-circuit television cameras installed at sections of the bridge. The bridge was completed in 1965.
Sources: Punch, Daily Post, Vanguard
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