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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Govt signs N245m River Benue bridge contract
THE Federal Government has in Abuja signed a N245 million contract for the design of a new bridge across the River Benue linking Oweto township in the state and Loko in Nasarawa State.
Signing the contract with the designer of the bridge, Etteh Aro and Partners, Minister Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe reaffirmed government's commitment to the completion of four new major bridges and two minor ones in different parts of the country before the expiration of the tenure of the present administration in 2007.
They are the second Niger bridge, the Ikom bridge in Cross-River State, the Ibi bridge in Taraba State, the Ibagwa bridge in Akwa-Ibom and the Argungu bridge in Kebbi State.
Ogunlewe explained that the design of the River Benue bridge linking Loko with Oweto township was a necessary prerequisite for complying with the extant rule on due procession in the award of contracts for construction projects.
He stated that the construction of the bridge had already been advertised for the
submission of tenders. He assured that between January and February 2005, construction work on the bridge will commence.
The company's managing partner, Etteh Aro, emphasised that the bridge would provide shorter access to the Federal Capital Territory to travellers from Benue, the South-East and the South-South zones. It will also facilitate speedy and easy movement of goods and services between the North and the South-South and the South-East.
Meanwhile, Ogunlewe has reiterated that the Forth Mainland Bridge being planned by the Lagos State government was a "fraud and political gimmick."
Speaking at another forum, he wondered "why it is taking the Tinubu administration more than four years to disclose the contractors and open bids for the bridge."
He also welcomed the idea of more local councils for Lagos State but said they should be created in line with constitutional guidelines and financial realities.
His words: "I am a Lagosian and so I cannot oppose more local councils for our people. I have advised Tinubu to retain the names of the existing councils that are recognised in the constitution, the Federal Finance Ministry and Central Bank for the purpose of revenue disbursement.
"But Tinubu refused and instead dissolved the councils to create new ones whose names are not recognised by the Federal Ministry of Finance and CBN computers wherever vouchers are raised for them. This is where the problem is. PDP is not the problem. Ogunlewe is not the problem.
"Tinubu should have retained the old ones with their names which the computers won't reject, thereby giving them their allocations. He can then decide on how to use whatever resources he has to fund the new councils which names the computers reject."
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