By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

Governors from the south-east region have named the Second Niger Bridge after President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari Sallau, the president’s personal assistant on media, wrote on his Facebook page: “Following consultations, the governors of the south-east have agreed that the second Niger Bridge shall be named the Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge”.

Speaking at the virtual inauguration of the bridge, Hope Uzodinma, the governor of Imo, said despite the south-east not voting for him, Buhari fulfilled the promise he made to the geopolitical zone.

“He asked for our votes, we did not give him. He made a promise and now he has fulfilled the promise even though we didn’t vote for him.

Charles Soludo, governor of Anambra, said: “As you (Buhari) leave office, the south-east will remember you. It would not be inappropriate to call you Mr Infrastructure. This is a promise delivered.”

Reacting to the naming of the bridge, Tolu Ogunlesi, a special assistant to the president on digital and new media, said the south-east governors agreed to name the new bridge after the president.

“Following consultations, the governors of the south-east have agreed that the Second Niger Bridge shall be named the Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge.”

On December 15, 2022, the federal government opened the Second Niger Bridge for use, in order to ease traffic in the south-east during the festive season.

The bridge opened for one month during the yuletide and was later closed to traffic on January 15, 2023, for the completion of the Loko-Oweto Bridge and link roads between Benue and Nasarawa states.

On May 15, the bridge was fully opened to motorists, while some finishing touches like lane markings were ongoing.

In a statement on Monday, Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesperson, said Buhari is expected to commission seven legacy projects, including the Second Niger Bridge, on Tuesday.

On his part, Bashir Ahmad, special assistant on digital communication to Buhari, on Tuesday, announced that the 1.6 km long bridge has been named after the president.

“The name is now being officiated. Thank God for our brand new Muhammadu Buhari bridge. Thank you, President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ahmad wrote on his Twitter page.

“The second Niger Bridge is to officially be called/known as Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge,” Ahmad added.

Buhari: FG Invests Loans in Critical Infrastructure

Barely a week to handover of power, President Muhammadu Buhari declared that making infrastructure development a key point of focus in his administration was a deliberate action to create wealth and make poverty alleviation easier.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the virtual commissioning of three bridges, three secretariats and one road project undertaken by his administration, the President defended criticisms of the debt profile of his administration saying, “we do not act on infrastructure by accident. It has been a deliberate choice for our government as a tool to fight poverty, to create economic growth and employment and to open the path of prosperity for our people.”

Buhari emphasized that while he shared the concerns of Nigerians, the debts are tied to projects that have been executed in very transparent circumstances and are there for everyone to see. He added that the wealth of other nations is traceable to their investments in infrastructure made possible by debts redeemed over decades.

“As we look at the debt profile, I urge us to also look at the assets and investment profiles, some of which were paid for by debt and some by investment income.

“In 8 (Eight) years, I am proud to say that we have doubled Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure to GDP from about 20% to over 40% and that is no small undertaking.

“The projects that we hand over today apart from others such as rail, sea and airports, gas pipeline projects that have been previously completed, symbolise our country’s sharp focus on delivering prosperity,” he said.

Elaborating on the significance of the projects, which he described as frontal efforts to address multi-dimensional poverty as well as improve business efficiency and service delivery time, the President said of the 3 (three) Bridges:

“The Ikom Bridge is meant to boost trade in and around the Calabar Port and Free Zone and facilitate transport connectivity from the South-South, through the North Central to the Northeast. This is a bridge across the Cross River itself.

“The Second Niger Bridge, which has been long in the making, and is certainly now a reality, is a bridge of choice across the River Niger to bring relief to those crossing from the Southeast to the Southwest.

“The Loko-Oweto Bridge, across the River Benue will provide a shorter connectivity for those traversing from Benue to Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. It cuts off travel through Lafia and provides connectivity to Keffi and Abuja.”

Buhari also commissioned 200 kilometres out of the 365 kilometres Abuja-Kano highway noting that the road, the Second Niger bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were all funded partly from dividend income earned from investment in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), repatriated funds from overseas, and recoveries from proceeds of crime successfully prosecuted at home.

“This is an example of the change that we promised; to invest dividend income in visible assets that last for generations and to put proceeds of crime to public and enduring use for the country.

“Our anti-corruption approach does not end in courts. Stolen and recovered assets are utilized for the common good,” he stressed.

The President also commissioned three Federal Secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa and Zamfara States, believing that they would “reduce the cost of governance by bringing federal civil servants under one roof for efficient service delivery,” thereby reducing expenditure on rent for office spaces.

He also named the Secretariats after distinguished Nigerians as follows: Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Federal Secretariat in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State; Ebele Okeke Federal Secretariat in Awka, Anambra State; and Malam Yahaya Gusau Federal Secretariat in Gusau, Zamfara State.

In his remarks, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola said the construction of the infrastructure generated economic activities around them, providing means of livelihood for hundreds of thousands who worked there.

According to him, travel time is reduced by more than 50% in many of the places we surveyed; Property values of landowners have appreciated by up to 30% in the surveys conducted on land values where we have delivered infrastructure.”

The Minister added that these are some of the attempts by the Government to push back against multi-dimensional poverty.

Goodwill messages were delivered at the event by the Governors of Anambra, Imo and Delta States, Minister of Labour and Employment as well as the Obi of Onitsha and the Asagba of Asaba.