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The Federal Government has reopened the First Niger Bridge to motorists, 38 days after it was closed for rehabilitation work following the discovery of vandalised structural components.
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, announced the reopening on Thursday during a ceremony at the Onitsha end of the bridge in Anambra state.
The bridge was initially closed to traffic on September 7, 2026 for two weeks to allow rehabilitation work. However, the closure was later extended indefinitely to ensure that the repairs were properly completed.
The Federal Government ordered the closure after discovering damage to some structural components of the bridge, including its expansion-joint steelwork.
Commending the contractors, Umahi said they had performed well, while acknowledging that some aspects of the rehabilitation work were yet to be completed.
He also thanked the governors of Anambra and Delta states for their contributions and praised President Bola Tinubu for what he described as significant road infrastructure development in the South-East and South-South regions.
“We have every reason to thank the governors of Anambra and Delta states,” the minister said.
“We must commend the contractors, SKCC, very, very highly; they have worked very well. We are not 100 per cent done because we are going to do. The evidence of what we are doing today is a total testimony that President Bola Tinubu is indeed a detribalised Nigerian.”
Tinubu’s re-election appeal
Umahi urged people in the South-East and South-South to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, arguing that the administration had demonstrated commitment to infrastructure development across the regions.
He questioned whether the level of road construction and rehabilitation currently being undertaken would have been possible under another administration, insisting that the South-East and South-South were receiving attention comparable to other parts of the country.
The minister also recalled the prolonged difficulties faced by motorists using the Enugu-Onitsha Road, asking why previous administrations had not intervened effectively.
“We have no regret supporting President Bola Tinubu. Let me declare in opening this bridge that I have no regret supporting Mr President,” Umahi said.
He described Tinubu as qualified to lead the country and expressed pride in serving under his administration.
Umahi subsequently declared the First Niger Bridge open for motorists, attributing the reopening to the Federal Government’s intervention and expressing gratitude for the rehabilitation work carried out on the vital transport link.
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