Second Niger Bridge To Cost N414 Billion Says Fashola |The Source

By Uche Mbah

The Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the second Niger Bridge will cost the Federal Government N414 billion to execute. Besides, it is estimated to gulp 68 tonnes of cement, 19 liters of diesel and four million cubic tonnes of sand.

In a town hall meeting with stakeholders in Awka, the Anambra state capital, Fashola lamented the menace of agitations by host communities, a move he claims is hampering the completion of the project.

The second Niger bridge has been subject to political controversy since the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, when the contract was awarded to the German construction giant, Julius Berger. Berger started the work under Jonathan, but the work was stalled since the inception of the Muhammadu Buhari administration while being enmeshed in controversies.

Part of the allegations was that the local people were demanding exorbitant compensation for damages on their land in the execution of the project.

But Fashola has asked the indigenous people to think of the economic benefit of the completed bridge to the zone, while he lamented that some grounds have been lost due to the agitations of the native people.

According to him, while the total cost of the bridge is estimated at N414 billion, the bridge on its own will gulp N206 billion, while N28 billion will be used to build ancillary link roads to the bridge.

Besides, all materials for the construction of the bridge will be sourced locally, which will result in economic empowerment for the host communities. This will involve the people of both Delta and Anambra state.

“Let me speak to what this project will do, what it is doing, and what it will be delivering. In order to complete this project, this company will be needing 644 aggregates. The contractors won’t import these; they will be buying them from here.

“They will need four million cubic tonnes of sand; 68,000 tonnes of cement and 21,000 tonnes of re-enforcement,” he said, adding that Julius Berger  “will need 19m liters of diesel which will be supplied by contractors as it does not produce diesel while 1400 indigenous workers will be employed to work on the bridge.”

He noted that from the start of the project the price of land has appreciated.