The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has directed that pictures of President Bola Tinubu be displayed on the First Niger Bridge after the completion of ongoing rehabilitation works.
Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday during an inspection of the rehabilitation of the bridge linking Anambra and Delta states, which was shut earlier this month following the vandalisation of structural components, including bolts, nuts and parts of the expansion joint.
The minister also appealed to voters in the South-East ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging them to consider the infrastructure projects executed by the Tinubu administration in the region.
He directed that all illegal advertisements on the bridge be removed after the rehabilitation and replaced temporarily with pictures of the President.
“Once we are done with work on this bridge, I want all the illegal adverts on this bridge removed. Anyone who wants to advertise should apply to the Ministry of Works. For now, the bridge will be decorated with the pictures of President Tinubu,” Umahi said.
“The President has worked so hard and we need to reward his hard work by decorating this bridge with his pictures.”
Umahi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the South-East should not waste its votes in the 2027 election, noting that the region had benefited from projects under the Tinubu administration despite its limited support for the President in the 2023 election.
“I want to say to Ndigbo that we should not throw away our votes in 2027. In the last election we did not vote for him so well, yet he is bringing projects to our region,” the minister said.
He also challenged supporters of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, to identify projects the former Anambra State governor had attracted to the South-East.
“I have a bragging right in Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and I’m proud of him and will be willing to show anyone who wants to know all that he has done,” he said.
“Peter Obi is our brother and we do not hate him, but we need to be realistic this time. I don’t care about people abusing me on social media, they should only tell us what Obi has attracted to the South East.”
The minister said rehabilitation work on the First Niger Bridge was nearing completion, with the Federal Ministry of Works planning to reopen the bridge next week.
The bridge was initially scheduled to reopen on September 21 but the reopening was postponed by one week due to persistent rainfall that affected the rehabilitation work.
Umahi said the federal government would not rush the reopening until critical structural works were completed.
“We will be here next week to open the bridge,” he said.
He also directed that no security checkpoint should be established within 200 metres of the bridge, warning that checkpoints could worsen traffic congestion and put additional pressure on the structure.
The rehabilitation work includes the replacement of vandalised bolts and expansion joints, repairs to the carriageway and walkways, installation of CCTV cameras and streetlights, as well as other structural improvements.
Umahi further directed the governors of Anambra and Delta States to intensify monitoring of scrap markets in their states to curb the vandalisation of public infrastructure.
He said the Ministry of Works would also restrict dredging activities around the bridge where necessary and continue structural assessments to ensure the facility remains safe.
According to the minister, one carriageway could initially be reopened while work continues on the other once the concrete attains the required strength.
