President Muhammadu Buhari is making great efforts to leave a legacy of massive infrastructural development across the country, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said.
The Minister stated this on Thursday during a media tour of the 1.8km Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Benue, along with the Ministers of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; and Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume.
He said the inspection was part of the ongoing media tour of Federal Government infrastructure projects, which was kick-started two weeks ago with the tour of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project.
Mohammed disclosed that the bridge, which is being funded from the proceeds of the Sukuk Loan, is 97.3 per cent completed.
He said the Loko-Oweto Bridge is part of a network that includes the 106km road from Oweto to Otukpo, which is completed, and the 76km road from the Loko end of the bridge to Nasarawa, which is at 20 per cent completion stage.
He said: “What this bridge is achieving is that it is linking the Northern part of the country and the Southern part of the country.
“Even though we call it Loko-Oweto Bridge, which is linking Nasarawa and Benue States, it goes further to link the South South and the South East.
“The communities (some members of which welcomed the Ministers) have been able to highlight how this bridge has also helped in the area of curbing insecurity, as well as fostering integration and friendship between the two communities.”
Mohammed said the government will continue to showcase to Nigerians how it is judiciously utilising the loans it has taken to develop infrastructure across the country, instead of exchanging words with naysayers.
Fashola explained that while the bridge itself has been completed, the link roads on both ends should be ready by the end of the year.
He said in addition to attracting development, the bridge will provide the needed infrastructure for the agrarian communities in the area to transport their farm produce to the market.
Fashola said the bridge is one of the 37 bridges across the country being constructed or rehabilitated by the Federal Government, listing others as including the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Second Niger Bridge, Ikom Bridge in Cross River, Murtala Mohammed Bridge in KotonKarfe in Kogi State, Tatabu Bridge linking Niger and Kwara States, Isaac Boro Bridge in Port Harcourt and Tamburawa Bridge in Kano State.
Akume called on the people of Benue and Nasarawa States to remain peaceful in order to attract more projects to the area.
Igor Zavodchiki, the Chief Engineer of the construction company handling the Loko-Oweto bridge, Mssrs RCC Nigeria Limited, pledged to deliver the project, including the approach roads, by the end of the year.
Zavodchiki said the second lane of the bridge has already been opened for vehicular movement.
The Loko-Oweto Bridge project consists of two dual-lane bridges, tagged Northern and Southern bridges.