BREAKING NEWS, Politics
–
The suspension of the construction of second Niger Bridge is causing a lot of anxiety that it may end up being as another political tricks politicians play on the people of the South East
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Sep 7, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT |
IT IS no longer news that the federal government has suspended works at the on-going construction of the second Niger Bridge to enable it ascertains the exact cost of the project. What is at issue now is the sectional, religious, and political sentiments the suspension has generated. Some Southeast people believe that President Muhammadu Buhari administration has short-changed them again.
That notwithstanding, the suspension has raised many questions on irregularities in the way the contract of the bridge was awarded. The project was meant to be a Public Private Partnership, PPP, in which federal government would pay N150 billion in a bridge that is less than 12 kilometres, (the bridge and road expansion inclusive) while private investors would pay the remaining amount.
This has raised the question: if the government is going to spend N150 billion on the second Niger bridge, how much is the total cost of it? How much are the private investors bringing to the project? Since the government is spending N150 billion on the project, why is the bridge going to be tolled? A bridge that is billed to cost more than N150 billion; is it a suspension or hanging bridge? Are they relocating an entire village because of this bridge? The last but not the least question: Is the decision of the government politically motivated? These questions are begging for answers.
Mike Udah, former chief press secretary to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, is one of the people still asking questions on the development. Udah told Realnews that it was unfortunate that the successive governments in the country have been playing politics with the construction of the bridge. He said that the suspension was an unfair treatment of the people of the region. According to him, irrespective of the importance of this bridge to the economic development of the region, the federal government seemed to have failed to pay adequate attention to its need to the region. He noted that no reasonable Igbo would be happy with this development.
“I feel bad that the government has suspended the work because this bridge was meant to reduce the amount of traffic witnessed every day on the existing bridge. Every reasonable easterner will feel bad about the suspension because that bridge is a major link between the west and the east. It also links the north to the east. I hope the government will do something about it and then continue with the project because government is a continuous process,” Udah said.
On his part, Monday Ubani, human rights lawyer, cautioned the people of South-East not to politicise the suspension because it was in the best interest of the region. He said a situation whereby the people would be forced to pay for tolling the bridge for 25 to 30 years is a total slavery of the South-East people. “The second Niger Bridge looks like big a scam. When you take into cognisance the cost and for the fact that it is going to be handled by the Public Private Partnership, PPP, in which the Igbos will be paying certain amount of money for 25 or 30 years. It is a very big scam and I’m happy that the government has suspended it to review the total cost. It is not as if the government is suspending it in finality, but to be sure of what is going on.
“I understand that some former ministers and persons in the past administration are beneficiary of the so-called concessional arrangements. This is the reason why we supported Buhari to be the president of this country because persons like him will do the right thing and what he is doing in the second Niger bridge is the right thing. Let us know those who are behind the concessionary arrangement and whether it was done with corrupt intentions to dupe the Igbos. I’m happy that it has been suspended after the probe I know the arrangement will go on,” he said.
Ubani challenged those behind the concessionary arrangement to go to court if they are not comfortable with the decision of the government. He believes that people who were privy to the concessionary arrangement petitioned the government which led to the decision. “I’m sure somebody has written many petitions before the president over this particular arrangement and that is why government want to ascertain the real cost of the project in order to move on with the project. Whoever that is going to court should go. I know that those who have benefited from this arrangement will go to court but I’m telling them that they will lose because national interest supersedes individual interest.
“This is good for the southeast people because bridges have been constructed in this country using federal government resources, nobody is being asked to pay anything. I understand that at the same time they awarded the second Niger Bridge, there was also another arrangement made in one of the north-central states and they are using the federal government money to do the bridge for a lesser amount and nobody is going to pay for the arrangement. But with the second Niger Bridge everything was done in secrecy and corruption. I’m much relived with what the government has done.”
Agreeing with Ubani, Ebongabasi Ekpe-Juda, social commentator, said the suspension was long overdue considering the corruption involved in awarding the contract. “When I think of this suspension two things come into my mind, whether it’s political or really to ascertain the actual cost. And I hope it’s not political. If the suspension is because of the embedded corruption, let us endure a little until corrupt people are taking out of the system. A bridge of N150 billion, that amount to me can build a mega city. I don’t know how a bridge can cost a N150 billion?
“That figure is so alarming. It shows how corrupt we are, if the suspension was to actually get the exact cost and hold those who have stolen money from there accountable, it is good for this country. But if it is political because it is not in the north, that would be unfortunate and I don’t want to think that way. I’m surprised that we want to build a bridge that is not up to two kilometres for a N150 billion, it is unspeakable. It is good that government has suspended it to ascertain the actual cost and bring those who have stolen money to book because I believe that money had been stolen for that project. The way we did things in the last administration is criminal and that is why we needed someone like President Buhari to clean some of this mess. Let government get to the root of this contract and punish those who are involved so that this country can learn. This project is against the easterners because they want to use us to make money,” he said.
The federal government had on Wednesday, August 26, announced the suspension of the bridge with reasons ranging from the actual cost of the bridge, non issuance of the Certificate of Compliance, non-compensation of the host community and non-adherence to due process in the award of contract were also responsible for the stoppage.
Aminu Diko, director-general, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, said the certificate of compliance for the project was also being withheld until all grey areas were cleared. He said the project was not likely to be completed anytime soon. “The second Niger Bridge is one of the projects that we discussed with the president. We did say yes it is in the commission for regulatory oversight. We have been discussing the transaction with the ministry of Works. But before it can be finalised the commissioner has to give a certificate of compliance, but we haven’t even done that because we have seen a lot of issues that we are uncomfortable with. We are talking with the ministry of Works for it to correct it.
“The communities around that area are clamouring that their lands have been taken and that they have not been compensated adequately. As a matter of fact, we got a letter from Onitsha traditional council complaining that they have not been adequately represented in this transaction. These kinds of issues we are not saying that something has not been done properly but we need to be convinced that these few problems are sorted properly.
“We also talked about the actual cost of the bridge, eventually we have asked the ministry of works to review it and justify how much the project should cost. For the second Niger bridge there will be a lot of studies that needs to be done on the integrity of the bridge itself which will take time it is not something we can see being completed in the next six months. I will like us to be patient about it. We know that it is a critical road. We also know how Nigerians suffer during festive holidays and we hear people sleep on that old bridge. The time has come for us to bring succour to Nigerians,” he said.
The second Niger Bridge has been more or less a political gimmick since the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The former president did a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the bridge and that was how it all ended.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan went a bit further by contracting the bridge out. He awarded the contract to Julius Berger Plc at a cost of N130 billion. But now, the cost is believed to be about N150 billion and on PPP. The suspension now raises a question whether it is not another political manoeuvring to ensure that the bridge will never be built.
|
Tags:
