SECOND NIGER BRIDGE , A MIRAGE

The okada rider who took our reporter to the site of the second Niger Bridge from the Asaba end was very unhappy over the state of the bridge. He told NAIJ.com that he should do all he could to ensure that the federal government continues and completes the bridge.
The middle aged man, who hails from Imo State, one of the supposed benefiting states, expressed fear that following the subtle moves of President Muhammadu Buhari, there is the tendency that the bridge might not go beyond the level it is at the moment.
The ceremony kicking off the construction of the bridge was performed on March 10, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan. That was in the heat of the fierce campaign for the 2015 presidential elections.
Its purpose was to reduce the weight of pressure on the first bridge which was built and completed in 1965 by a French construction giant, Dumex. The bridge connects the Eastern states with the South South, South West and North Central zones of Nigeria. Hence, it is a major bridge in the country.
But considering the pressure that mounts on it on daily basis and its age, Nigerians began a general call for the construction of the second bridge to reduce the weight on the first.
The call was made to forestall unforeseen circumstances following tear and wear on the bridge. The fear is that the first bridge is wearing out and there is the tendency that it could collapse and one could imagine the monumental loss of lives, property and commercial activities that will be brought to a