2nd Niger Bridge: Don’t Play Fool On Us-  Group warns FG

By Ebere Suzy

Following the recent statement credited to the Minister of
Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam that works have been stopped at the
recently commenced construction at the Second Niger Bridge, the Ndigbo
United Assembly has warned the federal government against any foul
play to stop work at the bridge.

Arising from their emergency meeting yesterday in Anambra state, the
National President of Nidigbo United Assembly, (NUA), Sir Peter Okala
said that the statement was enough to mislead Nigerians especially
Ndigbo, adding that the construction and commission of the second
Niger bridge remains a bond between President Goodluck Jonathan and
Nigeria.

Sir Okala expressed displeasure over the alleged comment by the
Minister for Environment where she was quoted as saying that the
Federal Government erred in commencing work on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge without consideration for the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, EIA.


He called on both the ministries of works and environment to put their
houses in order to enable full commencement and uninterrupted
construction of the second Bridge across the Niger, adding that
anything short of that would be not acceptable to Ndigbo and the
Nigeria in general.


“NUA had to convoke this emergency meeting after reading on the pages
of newspapers that the Federal Government has stopped work on the
construction of the Second Niger Bridge because of the failure of the
federal government to comply with the requirements of the EIA law
before embarking on the project.


Ndigbo is taking a stand that the
booth ministries should go home and do everything within their reach
to settle the problem, get the EIA law in place and make sure we don’t hear this type of discouraging comments from the federal government again because the construction of the bridge is a great bond between Ndigbo and President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and we wouldn’t want the federal government through agents or whosoever to push Ndigbo to the wall”, he said.

When contacted through mobile phone, the Chairman, House of
Representatives Committee on Environment, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife said
there was no cause for alarm in the construction of the second Nigger
Bridge, adding that it is one of the priority projects of President
Jonathan’s administration.

“I don’t know whether the Minister was quoted out of context, but
whatever it is, the Committee on Environment shall invite the
Ministers of Works and Environment to get first hand information over
the statement but for now, there is absolutely no cause for alarm as
President Jonathan is committed to construction and commissioning of
the second Niger Bridge before end of his tenure” she said.