FG promises prompt completion of 2nd Niger Bridge, Kashimbila Dam

The Federal Government on Wednesday in Abuja assured on prompt completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge and the Kashimbila Dam in Taraba.

President Goodluck Jonathan, last March, performed the ground-breaking for the bridge at Onitsha, Anambra, saying the bridge would cost N117 billion.

The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, told newsmen at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting that 2015 general election would not affect the project's completion deadline.

“I want to assure you that the second Niger Bridge project is a project that has been neatly put together and it has nothing to do with politics.

“As Minister of works it is not in my character and it is not in the character of this government to play politics with infrastructure development.

“I want to assure Nigerians election or no election, this project is an irreversible movement.''

According to him, the phase I of the project had been completed while work on the phase II was progressing as planned.

He, therefore, gave assurance that the project would be delivered on time.

The Minister said a report had already been submitted to his office on the Gamboru-Ngala Bridge, which links parts of Nigeria and Cameroon which was bombed by suspected Boko Haram members.

According to him, the bridge department of the ministry has been directed to produce a contingency plan to restore the bridge.

He said that funds for expansion programme on the Abuja-Nyanya-Keffi road project would be captured in 2015 budget.

Also briefing newsmen on the progress of work on Kashimbila Dam in Taraba, the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, said the project had reached 85 per cent completion.

The Kashimbila buffer dam is under construction in Takum Local Government of Taraba to mitigate the anticipated disaster on Nigerians in the event of the collapse of Lake Nyos in Cameroon.

According to her, the project, which has reservoir capacity of 500 million cubic litres of water to support irrigation farming, would also provide jobs to over 34,800 people.

The Minister said that some sections of the dam project such as airstrip, hydropower, water supply and irrigation had been substantially completed.