Federal Government has put in place workable funding mechanism to ensure
completion of the Second Niger Bridge, the Minister of Works, Power and
Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said.
Fashola said the modified tax credit policy, the Sukuk Intervention Fund and
the Presidential Infrastructural Fund, among others, were aimed at funding
infrastructure projects that would make the country globally competitive.
“By my assessment, the piling work is now about 50 per cent.
“At the time I resumed work at the ministry, only the bridge was designed
and work had stopped, but because of the commitment of the president, work has
commenced.
“For the foreseeable future, I don’t see any reason why work will stop again
because funding has been provided,” he said.
The minister said the contract for the construction of the already designed
link roads from Asaba and Onitsha to the Second Niger Bridge would be awarded
before the end of the year.
Fashola said the Federal Government was also undertaking maintenance work at
the existing Niger Bridge to ensure that it continued to serve the citizens.
He said the ministry had received compensation claims in the realm of N3.44
billion to owners of land affected by the second Niger Bridge project.
“We have paid N1.8 billion. Our strategy is to pay in sections where
contractors want to commence work immediately.
“We have also received additional
claim of N1.5 billion. These claims are the impediment to the entire project,”
the minister said.
On the Umunya section of the
Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Fashola said the contract had been awarded, adding
that work would start in earnest.
Fashola, who later visited Gov.
Willie Obiano of Anambra, assured that the Federal Government would collaborate
with the state government on the inter-change projects by Revenue House, Awka.
Also speaking, the Federal
Controller of Works in Anambra, Mr Innocent Alumonah, explained that the second
Niger Bridge was about 1.5 kilometers in length, with two spans of 40 meters
each.
He said about 180 piles have
been driven into the earth out of over 600 piles meant for the foundation of
the bridge.
“The contractor has also put a lot
of geo-textiles to the ground and constructed culverts as part of early works
for the project which will soon be completed,” Alumunah said.
In a remark, Gov. Willie Obiano
commended Federal Government’s commitment to the Second Niger Bridge and
appealed for the refund of N50 billion spent in rehabilitating federal roads in
the state.
Obiano also appealed to the Federal
Government on the Nnewi cluster power supply project as well as the proposed
Regina Junction project on Enugu-Onitsha expressway.
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