The almost 2.5km-long Loko/Owetu Bridge which the Works and Housing Minister, Barr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, affirms has been completed would soon officially be commissioned. The bridge has been adjudged by experts as a masterpiece of engineering design, expertly and professionally executed by an Israeli firm, Reynolds Construction Co. Ltd.
The beauty of the bridge is further enhanced by the provision of electricity that sets it and its surroundings aglow, noticeable from up to four kilometers away on approaching it by commuters and members of the neighbouring communities around it.
At the cost of about N60bn, it is one of the most ambitious and most Important projects ever executed by the federal government in the North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria since the return of democracy 24 years ago.
It is also the second longest bridge in the country, only next to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos… and it is about 200metres longer than the Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha already completed by the Buhari administration.
This is why many well-informed political observers are of the opinion that the project of this magnitude deserves to be commissioned by no other person than Mr. President himself.
The completion of the project, and many others like it, bears a clear testimony to the infrastructure development which is the landmark of this administration. The publicity that comes with the official inauguration by the President himself would form part of the documentary that underpins the legacy of the Buhari administration which would sit in the minds of the people for many years to come.
Apart from this very important project, the indigenes of Benue state would also be grateful to President Buhari if he can, within the few days left in his administration, travel to Otukpo to lay the foundation stone at the permanent site of the Federal University of Health Sciences at Otobi established by his government.
The university is the only tangible project established by the Federal Government in the nine local government areas that make up the Benue-South Senatorial District.
There are talks that the institution would be renamed “Buhari University of Health Sciences” as a mark of respect and honour of bringing this very important development to the people just like the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, was renamed JS Tarka University of Agriculture, Makurdi.
The question people would not be tied of asking is if President Buhari could also perform a foundation laying ceremony of the Federal Polytechnic at Wamina in the headquarters of the Tarka Local Government Area where one of the most dedicated, loyal and committed sons of the soil in the person of Sen. George Akume, the Minister of Special duty and Inter-Governmental Affairs, comes from.
Since this is not a state visit, so many protocols could be avoided in other to save time. The visit would also give the opportunity to president Buhari to thank the people who have supported his administration throughout his 8-year tenure and even massively voted for the incoming president in both the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 25 and March 18 gubernatorial and House of Assembly polls. By so doing, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has recaptured power after the mandate given to the party in the 2015 elections was lost via by the defection of Gov. Sam Ortom to the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
It’s my belief and hope that the president men would find a room to accommodate the itinerary within the few days left in his administration to commission the bridge.
The Loko/Owetu Bridge whose idea was conceived over three decades ago was built to link the South Eastern States with high population density with areas complemented by the high food production of the North Central geopolitical zone and the other states of the North.
It is also the shortest link between Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and the Calabar Export Processing Zone as well as the Obudu Cattle Ranch thus saving four hours of the F238 route traversing Otukpo, Makurdi, Lafia, Akwanga and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It should further be stated that the bridge which is already in use has the expected multiplier effects. Some trading activities are now springing up daily along that corridor.
Many investors from all over the country are now pouring into the area to acquire lands for multiple purposes. Those in the hospitality business be thinking of putting up hotels and eateries for commuters plying the road from far distance South-East and South-South who may want to have a stopover and relax before continuing their trips.
Additionally, filling stations are likely to spring up soon in the axis thus engendering rapid economic development in the corridor.
On the day of the inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari may wish to invite some important dignities to witness the occasion. They should include former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who awarded the contract in 2011, former President of the Senate David Mark, whose synergy and cooperation with the sitting president ensured that the project was not derailed and the contract for commencement of the work was accordingly awarded, the National Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, whose hometown is just a few kilometers away from the bridge and other dignitaries.
It is also appropriate to mention the names of some other people who contributed in many ways in ensuring that the project became a reality. They included Rt. Hon. Solomon Umaru Agidani, a 3-term member of the House of Representatives who spent 12 years in House digging out all the relevant facts concerning the bridge and alerting the relevant authorities when he perceived that something was not going well with the project at some points in time.
The singular effort put in by Rt Hon. Agidani Engr. Etteh in designing the bridge and its presentation in Senator David Mark’s office as the President of the Senate on July 27, 2010, cannot be overlooked. He also lobbied for the financial provisions of the six billion naira in the 2011 budget which was okayed by the Senate through Sen. David Mark.
The above revelations are necessary to underpin the fact that the legislature and the executive working in harmony can result in rapid development across the nation.
In addition, public officers including members of the parliament and the executive should be given due recognition when they perform their roles creditably, in line with the saying “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”
The name of Hon. Agidani is frequently mentioned in this presentation because of his intense interest and several efforts he has invested in the realisation of this project.
In this connection Agidani has some other co-travellers who showed similar commitments in ensuring that the bridge project saw the light of the day.
Among them were Alhaji Sabo Ago, the first Director of Planning of the FCT, who proposed this route as part of the Nigerian highway in 1971, Chief Audu Ogbe who did his bits while he held sway as the PDP National Chairman, Arc. Sonny Echono as Director of Bureau of Public Procurement, Chief Barnabas Gemade as Secretary for Works in the Abacha regime, who also made efforts to raise a loan of N12bn in 1993 from AFDB and others too numerous to mention here.
Justice would not have been done to this analysis without the mention of the iconic role played by the Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Barr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who was always on the road to ensure that the project was not only carried out according to specifications but also promptly executed without delay, either on the part of the contractors or the federal government.
To all the commuters who would use this bridge, here is wishing them happy motoring and safe drive.
Usman Adams is a public affairs commentator based in Abuja.
