Julius Berger, NMIC promise to deliver 2nd Niger Bridge on schedule

The Consortium  handling the construction of the second Niger Bridges, Julius Berger-Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Motorways Investment Company (JB-NMIC), yesterday said it had commenced full mobilisation to site on the project, while pledging timely execution.

This is coming at a time the  senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Dr. Chris Ngige, described the   Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement of the Federal Government for the Second Niger Bridge as financial victimisation and maltreatment of the Igbo. He also queried the construction cost of N115 billion.

In a joint statement by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NSIA, Uche Orji and the Managing Director of Julius Berger Plc, Wolfgang Goetsch, the consortium said that compliance with Nigerian Environmental laws continues to be a paramount priority and that Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was an intrinsic part of the project, which was carried out in compliance with the environmental laws that govern Nigeria and in collaboration with the relevant ministries.

It stated: “Contrary to recent reports, work on the Second River Niger Bridge project continues to progress according to schedule, to ensure timely completion of the bridge, which is set to be executed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for a concessional period of 25 years, through the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model.

“In fact, the nominated EPC contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has commenced full mobilisation to site and timely execution of all scheduled activities is anticipated.”

Meanwhile, Senator Ngige, while describing the PPP arrangement for the project as financial victimisation and maltreatment of the Igbo, has frowned at the N 115 billion pricing of the contract.  Speaking to journalists at the weekend, in Awka, Ngige said the cost of contract was not appropriate when compared with a 1.35 kilometre bridge constructed in Lagos at the cost of N30 billion by Governor Babatunde Fashola.

He lamented that the Federal Government had not built a bridge anywhere in the country on such an exploitative “toll basis” except the second Niger Bridge.

While stating that the Igbo do not need a bridge where they would pay tolls, Ngige explained why he did not attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the second Niger Bridge.

He said: “On that basis, I told them I will not come for the groundbreaking because I do not believe that the Igbo in Onitsha and Anambra, if they want to go and greet fellow Igbo in Asaba, will pay money to go there and come back.

“And mark you, a lot of Anambra people are now living in Asaba and they come to work here from Asaba and go back. A lot of Anambra people also have their kith and kin there in Asaba. So, for me, I felt it was maltreatment, financial maltreatment, and financial victimisation for anybody to say he is going to toll that bridge, which is just a 1.7 kilometre bridge.

“We need a bridge that will be put for our people free of charge, a bridge that will be given to our people soonest, urgently, not four years. Fashola built his own in one and half years, the bridge from Lekki into Ikoyi. It dropped at Ikoyi-Bourdillon and dropped at Lekki, at the other end. You will see it in Lagos, a beautiful bridge with good lighting system; it was also built on PPP. So, even if you are adding interest on that one, you will see that N115 billion is an overpriced estimate and it is the same Julius Berger that built it.”