Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola has said the construction of Loko-oweto Bridge and the Second Niger Bridge demonstrates the commitment of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to infrastructure development.
Fashola spoke during the inspection of the completed Loko-Oweto Bridge and the linking roads in Sections 1 and 2 on Tuesday in Nasarawa State.
According to him, this is another intervention of President Buhari’s administration in infrastructure development.
The minister said there has been a lot of emotion and excitement about the Second Niger Bridge.
The minister said some people forget that it crosses River Niger and it is an East-West road linking the Southeast to the Southwest.
“There is also a major river in Nigeria: the River Benue. That is the North-South crossing. So, there is a lot of publicity and excitement about the Second Niger Bridge.
“Understandably, perhaps not enough attention has been given to the Loko-Oweto Bridge. This is the bridge that crosses River Benue.
“The point is that this has been a very defining intervention and the administration is able to show that we have built two major bridges across the two major rivers in the country connecting people, connecting the country, and facilitating trade.
“You will see that even before formally opening the bridge, there were lots of trucks and buses passing through. The reason they’re choosing this place is because it’s four hours’ saving.
“We have over 70 kilometres of road linking Benue State to Nasarawa State. You have 74 kilometres of road linking Benue and Nasarawa into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. So, this bridge has been finished,” he said.
Fashola said the bridge had been completed about two years ago but had not been opened to traffic because of the connection of the linking roads, which had been substantially completed.
During the inspection, Chairman of Loko Local Government Area, Alhaji Shuaibu Umar, hailed the government for constructing the bridge.
Also, Fashola has said the Federal Government is constructing no fewer than 83 internal roads in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The minister spoke during the inauguration and handing over of a 1.8 kilometres reconstructed road at Federal University in Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), the Kebbi State capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is one of Federal Government’s investments in education to provide access roads and ensure an environment conducive for learning.
Fashola, who was represented by the Federal Controller of Worksin the area, Mr. James Bugu, said: “We have successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in the tertiary Federal institutions and handed over a total of 64 as at March 2022.
“We now have another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country, making a total of 83.
“While it is true that a lot of work needs to be done in many sectors of our national life, including education, the Buhari government has stepped to lead the process of getting that work done.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
