Why 2nd Niger Bridge Won’t Be Toll Free – Fashola Explains

The Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the 2nd Niger Bridge will be tolled to ensure that the project is properly maintained.

Fashola hinted that the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), will be in charge of the toll fee.

The minister who was speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, said;

“Inevitably, the bridge will be tolled but that is the job of the NSIA because we must make sure the bridge is properly maintained. So, this is where…private sector capacity becomes useful. They may not be (able to) build capital to buy the asset but can mobilise the expertise and efficiency to operate it, of course not without due diligence being done. That is the same model on the Lekki toll gate.

He blamed the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the delay on the completion of the second Niger bridge which has been temporarily opened for yuletide.

“Truth be told, the target is April or May (2023) but the date keeps shifting because of sit-at-home directives.

“The current opening for motorists is for those going to the East and will last till the 1st of January. It is currently a one-way crossing. So, on the 2nd of January, we would reverse what we have done and allow people to use it from the 3rd for the East to West crossing and on the 15th we would shut it down so that we can finish the four kilometre access road we are trying to build, and the interchange.

“We are building in mash land so we have to dredge, accumulate sand, fill or reclaim land. You have to wait for it to settle and can’t start building the following day. We are using a technology called pre-fabricated vertical drills to accelerate”.

“The purpose was to bring relief to Nigerians who transverse from East to West or from West to East of Nigeria across the river Niger and especially during the end of the year. We know that it is a logistics nightmare; we know that people will render services, go on holiday, wedding and festivities. The bridge itself is finished and the road linking it to Obosi road on the Anambra side is finished except for the interchange which is at different levels of completion.

“The road linking the bridge to Asaba side is one that we could not finish to make residents have a choice whether to use the old bridge or the new bridge. The president thought why not now, open it, let people have relief during this period” Fashola said.