Umahi Orders Temporary Closure of Old Niger Bridge for Major Repairs

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has directed the temporary closure of the Old Niger Bridge to allow major rehabilitation and improvement works to be carried out on the facility.

Umahi announced the directive while speaking at the Ogbunike Interchange, which connects Anambra State to the Second Niger Bridge.

He said the Old Niger Bridge would be closed seven days from Friday, with motorists and other road users temporarily diverted to the Second Niger Bridge.

According to the minister, the closure is necessary to facilitate the installation of solar-powered streetlights and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the bridge, as well as other rehabilitation works aimed at improving safety and infrastructure.

“Seven days from today (Friday), we are going to close the first Niger Bridge and traffic will be diverted to the second Niger Bridge so that we can install the solar lights and the CCTV,” Umahi said.

He added that the Federal Government’s goal was to restore the Old Niger Bridge to a much-improved standard comparable to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

“We will restore the first Niger Bridge to the same quality as the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. That is the message and directive of Mr President,” he stated.

The minister also called on residents of the South-East to acknowledge the infrastructure projects being undertaken by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the region, while encouraging the Federal Government to do more.

Umahi expressed concern over what he described as persistent complaints of marginalisation from some social media content creators in the South-East, particularly whenever challenges arise in the region.

He questioned what such critics had to say about previous administrations, which he claimed did not execute projects on a comparable scale in the area.

The former Ebonyi State governor also urged people in the South-East to support President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that continued political support would help sustain and expand ongoing Federal Government projects in the region.

“South-East people must vote for the president in 2027. If they are insulting me, it is not my business because they can’t face me face to face.

So it makes me happy that I am taking the attention of those insulting me. But the truth remains the truth,” Umahi said.

He further appealed to voters in the region to support the President so that what he described as the “dividends of democracy” could continue after the election.

“Vote for President Tinubu so that these dividends of democracy will continue, even in improved form, after the election,” he said.

Umahi cautioned against political apathy, urging South-East residents not to sit out the 2027 election and later complain about a lack of development.

“Let it not be that when other people are voting, the people of the South-East will be playing football and tomorrow we will start to complain. It is not acceptable,” he said.

The minister maintained that the South-East was currently witnessing an unprecedented level of road infrastructure development under the Tinubu administration.

“I was a governor, a deputy governor and party chairman, and never in the history of the South-East did we witness even five per cent of what we are witnessing now. All our roads are being fixed and we are taking them for granted,” he said.

He said the 2027 election would give residents of the region an opportunity to demonstrate their appreciation for the Federal Government’s interventions while also determining whether ongoing projects would continue.

Umahi advised the people of the South-East to move away from what he described as regional politics, hatred and political sentiment, stressing that political decisions should be guided by mutual interests and the development of the region.

“Our votes will not make our brother president and if you are insulting me because of our brother, you are wasting time because we are friends,” he said.

He also expressed confidence that President Tinubu would emerge victorious in the 2027 presidential election, saying political forces supporting the President were already working together in Anambra State.

Umahi thanked President Tinubu for what he described as significant interventions in the South-East, arguing that the projects had helped restore the region’s importance within the country.

Meanwhile, the minister assured contractors handling various Federal Government projects that outstanding certificates for completed works would be processed and paid soon.

The temporary closure of the Old Niger Bridge is expected to affect traffic movement between parts of Anambra State and the wider South-East, although motorists will be redirected through the Second Niger Bridge during the rehabilitation period.

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