Second Niger bridge

2nd Niger Bridge
2nd Niger Bridge
	File:Second-niger-bridge-impression 66.jpg Niger Bridge Western Approach completed – Incremental launching of segments 1 – 6 (north)
Coordinates	6°07′12″N 6°45′18″E / 6.1199°N 6.755°E
Crosses	Niger River
Locale	Asaba
Maintained by	Federal Ministry of Works and Housing
Website	www.second-river-niger-bridge.com
Characteristics
Total length	1.63 km
History
Construction start	September 1, 2018
Construction end	February, 2022
Construction cost	₦336 Billion
Location

The Second Niger bridge is a Nigerian Federal Government project that is 1.6 km long and furnished with other ancillary infrastructure including a 10.3 km highway, Owerri interchange and a toll station, expected to be completed in the year 2022. The bridge was initiated under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan ans is being sustained by President Muhammad Buhari

The bridge is being constructed across Nigeria's Niger River and it will span from Asaba to Ozubulu and Ogbaru areas.

The project is being developed through a public private partnership (PPP) involving Julius Berger

History

The Second Niger Bridge was first proposed during the 1978/79 political campaign by then candidate Shehu Shagariof the National Party of Nigeria(NPN).

In 1987, after warning about the state of the existing River Niger Bridgeby the then Minister for Works and Housing Abubakar Umar, General Ibrahim Babangidachallenged the local engineers to design The Second Niger Bridge, rising to the challenge, The Nigerian Society of Engineers called NSE Prems Limited, which subsequently delivered a masterplan. The addition of East-West railway line to the project, unfortunately the turmoil that precipated the end of Babangida's administration stalled the plan.

Under the subsequent military governments, the projects recieved dwarf attention. Upon the return to civilian rule, President Olusegun Obasanjopromised to deliver a second Niger River bridge. However his administration did not carry out any major activity on the project until five days before he handed over to the then incoming administration of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, when Obasanjo flagged off the project in Asaba.

The incoming administration effectively inherited a ₦58.6 billion proposed cost for a six lane, 1.8 km tolled bridge, which was to be completed in three-and-half years. The bridge was to be financed under a public private partnership (PPP) with 60 per cent of the funding coming from the contrator, Gitto Group; 20 per cent from the Federal Government of Nigeria, and 10 per cent from the Anambra and Delta State Governments. Unfortunately the subsequent death of President Yar'adua marred the progress of the project.

However, in august 2012, the Federal Executive Council under Jonathan's administration, approved a contract worth ₦325 million for thr final planning and design of the bridge. During the 2011 Nigerian general election campaign period, Jonathan has promised that if elected, he would deliver the project before the end of his term in 2015. At an onitsha town hall meeting on August 30, 2012, he promised to go on exile if he didn't deliver on the project by 2015.

The rigmorale continued under the President Muhammad Buhari administration, which first cancelled the earlier contract in August 2015.