ONITSHA — Minister of Works, David Umahi, has directed the removal of all illegal advertisements on the First Niger Bridge and ordered that pictures of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be used to beautify the structure
Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday while inspecting ongoing rehabilitation work on the bridge, which links the South-East and South-South regions through the Niger River
He said all unauthorised advertisements on the bridge must be removed and that future advertisements would require approval from the Ministry of Works
“All the illegal advertisements on the bridge should be removed If anybody wants to advertise for anything, he has to apply to the Ministry of Works,” Umahi said.
He also directed the Senior Special Assistants to the President in the South-East and South-South to coordinate the beautification of the bridge with the President’s pictures, citing Tinubu’s intervention in the rehabilitation project
“In the meantime, the South-South and South-East SSA to Mr President would have to fertilise the bridge, beautify it, colour it with the President’s pictures because the President deserves to be appreciated for the quick intervention and the quality of work that he is doing in this place,” he said
The minister further ordered the installation of additional solar-powered lights and closed-circuit television cameras on the bridge to improve security and visibility
Umahi also directed that the First Niger Bridge be linked to the Second Niger Bridge immediately
He said a committee had been constituted to conduct an assessment of the condition of the bridge both above and below the water level
“I have also set up a committee to go and do empirical evaluation of what is happening below the water level and above the water level under this bridge and they will report to me before the end of work tomorrow,” he said
The Federal Government had on September 7 announced a two-week closure of the First Niger Bridge for emergency maintenance after vandals allegedly removed critical structural components
The reopening was subsequently extended by another week due to persistent rainfall
The First Niger Bridge remains an important transport link connecting communities and businesses in the South-East and South-South regions