The Implications Of Halting The Second Niger Bridge Construction By The Presidency.

There is no Nigerian president or politician past and present that has attracted as much criticism based on ethnicity , nepotism, religious faith and sentiments  as that of the present president of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari.


While some of these criticisms have been so wide off the mark and excessively exaggerated in order to malign or rubbish his person, some it must be admitted have been spot on. One however asks what is it in particular that the president has done in the past or present that has marked him out as one having an "Ulterior Muslim/ Northern Agenda".

President Buhari is not the only devout and dedicated Muslim to have ever ruled the country nor is he more northern than the others before and after him. The president actually has no one but himself to blame for this negative trait that has stained his personality . His unguarded utterances, and cold nature have marked him out as one that has disdain for certain sections of the country and those who share a different faith from his.

It is based on this backdrop, that the recent halting of the construction of the second Niger Bridge which was flagged off by the past administration (supposed to cost N117 billion) has further fuelled the thought that the President is an ethnic bigot. The second Niger Bridge construction work was halted with the excuse of the failure of the Federal government to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment in the construction of the bridge by Mrs. Laurentia Mallam who is the minister of environment .

The problem with that is that it is viewed as an excuse to discontinue work in the bridge which is highly important both commercially and economically to the South East and South South region. The present Niger bridge which was constructed by French construction company Dumez in 1964 during the reign of General Yakubu Gowon has passed the test of time but is too narrow and hence lots of time have been lost in trying to transmit goods  from Onitsha to Asaba. The bridge makes travelling stressful and has discouraged commercial activities in the region.

Simply put , instead of encouraging capital projects, it appears the president is bent on frustrating the very few which are on-going in a region, he has not failed to forgive and always accuses the region  of only giving him five percent of their votes in the 2015 general elections.

Finally , whatever the case might be, the federal government have to find ways to align with the environmental demands required for the construction in order to continue the construction work . Failure to do that means that the president has official shown his ethnic biased nature.