By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Governors of the southeastern Nigeria have named the Second Niger Bridge after President Muhammadu Buhari, an official has said.
The bridge was commissioned on Tuesday by Mr Buhari who participated in the event virtually.
SUMMIT POST gathered that the governors took the decision ahead of the commissioning of the project to appreciate Buhari for completing the project after successive administrations failed to do so.
“Following consultations, the south-east governors agreed that the bridge be named as Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge,” Tolu Ogunlesi, a media aide to Mr Buhari posted on his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday.
Bashir Ahmad, a special assistant to the president on digital communications, also announced that the bridge had been named after Mr Buhari.
On his Twitter handle, Tuesday, Mr Ahmad wrote “The Second Niger Bridge is to be officially called/known as Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge.”
Ahmad earlier hinted that President Buhari would commission eight mega projects on Tuesday, top among which is the commissioning of the Second Niger Bridge. The landmark projects also include Nigeria’s first-ever Wagon Assembly Plant in Ogun state.
Bashir noted that President Buhari was billed to travel to several states to commission these projects before he exits office.
According to Ahmad, the projects include: Second Niger Bridge, Loko – Oweto Bridge, Ikom Bridge, Kaduna – Kano road, Federal Secretariat, Zamfara, Federal Secretariat, Anambra, Federal Secretariat, Bayelsa and Wagon Assembly Plant, Kajola.
Ejimofor Opara, a media aide to Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, disclosed that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who also participated in the commissioning of the Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge virtually, announced the bridge’s new name during the commissioning of the project.
The minister, according to Mr Opara, noted that the decision to rename the bridge after Mr Buhari was taken by the governors from the South-east.
The five governors include Mr Soludo (Anambra), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Enugu), Hope Uzodinma (Imo) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).
The construction of the new bridge began on 1st September 2018.
The bridge connects Asaba in Delta State, south-south Nigeria to Ozubulu, Ogbaru and other communities in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.
The first Niger Bridge, linking Onitsha and Asaba, was completed in 1965 and built by the French construction company, Dumez.