FG may consider redesign of 2nd Niger Bridge – official

The Federal Controller of Works in Anambra, Mr Adeyemo Ajani, on Saturday said the second Niger Bridge may be redesigned to prevent suicide attempts.

Ajani stated this when the Abuja branch of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) inspected the on-going works at the Ogbaru site of the project, near Onitsha.

He said he would take up the NSE recommendation with the appropriate authorities.

“What we have on the walk lane is our standard design but what the engineers are talking about is a kind of review.

“If we have to do abnormal design to take care of suicidal situations, it will require another design.

“There has been rapid progress on the project. The last time the minister and the vice-president came, it was 15 per cent level completion but today it is above 21per cent.

“When you look at it from the time the project started, we are now at 24 per cent completion.

“The main bridge has begun.; we have done all the piling and the structures above water level have been done considerably.

“At the Asaba end, we have raised the structure to the deck up to 80 per cent,” Ajani said.

During the inspection earlier, the NSE Abuja Chairman, Mr Chinasaokwu Okoli, recommended a suicide-proof design of the pedestrian walkway of the bridge to prevent  cases of suicide. NAN