Work stoppage on 2nd Niger Bridge: Your reasons are flimsy, ridiculous, Igbo group tells FG

The Igbo Think-Tank, Aka Ikenga, has expressed shock over the suspension of work on the proposed Second Niger Bridge project, just as the group described as ‘ridiculous and flimsy’ the reasons provided by the Federal Government for the action.
It would be recalled that Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Aminu Dikko had, Wednesday, told State House correspondents after earlier briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on key issues, that his commission was currently withholding its Certificate of Compliance for the Second Niger Bridge project because of many issues regarding the project that the Commission was not comfortable with.
Dikko said the commission was engaging the Ministry of Works on how to resolve the issues and therefore had asked the ministry to review the cost of the project, adding that his commission had identified the clamour for compensation by owners of the land where the project is being sited as one of the pending issues.
The director-general said he has no idea of the present state of the project, where the groundbreaking was done with fanfare by the administration of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
“For the Second Niger bridge there will be a lot of studies that needs to be done on the integrity of the bridge itself which will take time. It is not something we can see being completed in the next six months.
“I will like us to be patient about it, we know that it is a critical road, we also know how Nigerians suffer during festive holidays and we hear people sleep on that old bridge. The time has come for us to bring succour to Nigerians.”
However, reacting, Friday, a statement made available to Global Patriot Newspapers, and signed by its President-General, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, Aka Ikenga maintained that since the Federal Government’s contribution to the public/private financed project was small, the benefits of the proposed bridge far outweigh the issues raised by the Ministry of Works authorities.
“Aka Ikenga, Igbo Think Tank, has received the news of the suspension of work on the Second Niger Bridge with incredulity. We doubted them but today the threat has become a reality.
“We make bold to ask why this private public project will be suspended. Afterall, the money from the Federal Government is very small.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the sheer economic burden that will be lifted off the back of all the people in the two zones and indeed all Nigerians is mind boggling. The country will rely on this bridge for transportation. The nascent industries in these zones will rely on this bridge and so will the North-South trade that is currently bogged down in Onitsha Head Bridge.
“The people of Nigeria have consistently asked for this bridge but the Federal Government, in its wisdom condescended to the level of public private sectors joint participation, the first in this country. Even at that, the Federal Government’s contribution is small.
“The enemies of the people have decided to suspend this project for the flimsiest reasons, indeed for very ridiculous reasons. Those who are sitting on this project should be reminded that the immortal Zik said that ‘No condition is permanent.’
“We warn those who have suspended this project to reverse this decision or be prepared to face the wrath of the people. A word is enough for the wise,” the statement read.