The Federal Government has reopened the First Niger Bridge to vehicular traffic, six weeks after it announced the planned closure of the bridge for repairs.
Minister of Works David Umahi declared the bridge open for public use at a ceremony in Asaba, the Delta State capital, describing the intervention as part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to preserve critical national infrastructure and improve transportation across the country.
Umahi explained that the rehabilitation followed concerns over the bridge’s structural condition, including reports of missing bolts on its steel components, poor maintenance and other activities capable of weakening the structure.
He said the work involved structural repairs, resurfacing, the installation of solar-powered streetlights and Closed Circuit Television cameras, as well as additional traffic safety measures.
The minister added that median barriers and three designated turnaround points had been provided to improve traffic control, particularly during emergencies and vehicle breakdowns.
He also disclosed that security monitoring centres were being established at both ends of the bridge to enhance surveillance around the facility.
According to him, the measures were necessary to protect the ageing structure from excessive loading, traffic congestion and other activities that could threaten its durability.
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Umahi also raised concerns over alleged sand dredging close to the bridge, warning that federal regulations prohibit such activities within a 10-kilometre radius of federal bridges.
He directed relevant officials in Delta and Anambra states to enforce the restriction, warning that failure to do so could attract disciplinary action.
He ordered a comprehensive redesign of the Benin-Asaba Expressway ahead of its reconstruction to address its deteriorating condition.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had terminated the remedial contract for the first 11 kilometres of the highway because of concerns about the quality of work, expressing confidence that the new intervention would provide lasting relief to motorists using the busy route.
Umahi further announced plans to reconstruct about 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, which he described as a spur of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to major road projects across the Niger Delta and South-East, including sections of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge bypass.
Oborevwori, Monarch Hail Tinubu
Meanwhile, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, commended President Tinubu for responding to concerns about the safety of the First Niger Bridge.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, said the rehabilitation underscored the need for a consistent maintenance culture that would prevent public infrastructure from deteriorating before necessary action was taken.
He noted that Umahi’s three consecutive visits to the bridge within two months demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the concerns surrounding the structure.
Oborevwori stressed that the bridge was a critical economic link between the South-South and South-East, warning that any collapse would have serious consequences for businesses, trade and the movement of people across the two regions.
Similarly, the Asagba of Asaba, Epiphany Azinge, SAN, described the rehabilitation as a major intervention that would reinforce the bridge and extend its service life.
Speaking on behalf of the Asaba community, the traditional ruler praised President Tinubu and Umahi for ensuring the completion of the project, noting that the bridge remained central to the economic and social ties between Delta and Anambra states and the wider South-South and South-East regions.
Azinge described the exercise as potentially the second most extensive rehabilitation of the bridge since it was constructed shortly before the Nigerian Civil War.
He said the improvements would boost public confidence in the bridge’s safety and facilitate the movement of people and goods, while urging the Federal Government to accelerate other critical road projects, particularly the reconstruction of the Benin-Asaba Expressway.
The infrastructure was closed from September 7 to 21, 2026, to facilitate emergency maintenance and rehabilitation works by the Federal Ministry of Works aimed at restoring the bridge to a safer and more durable condition.
The government said that the rehabilitation became necessary due to the deteriorating condition of the bridge’s carriageway and the destruction of some of its components.
Motorists were advised to use the Second Niger Bridge through Obosi towards Asaba, Delta State, as an alternative route during the maintenance period
The Acting Federal Controller of Works, Anambra Field Headquarters, Timothy Emenike, earlier explained that reopening was delayed as persistent rainfall hampered the ongoing maintenance works on the ageing bridge.