How Kaduna photographer documented Kawo bridge’s fall

Photographer Halima Abubakar is known for taking shots that explore identity. One of her most recent works, a series themed ‘Kwalliya,’ focused on facial and body markings once a popular tradition in Nigeria.

But this time she isn’t exploring identity and rather, seeks to document the demolition of the landmark Kawo bridge in Kaduna.

The inspiration came to Mrs Halima Abubakar to document the demolition of Kaduna’s Kawo bridge long before the state’s lockdown in the second quarter of 2020.

But she did not begin work until the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on the world and the state governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i, declared a lockdown that forced the photographer to stay indoors and begin to wonder how she was going to pass the time.

Mrs.  Abubakar had always seen Kaduna’s Kawo bridge as a meeting point and a home to some.

It was also a refuse dump site, a place where some relieved themselves, and finally, a place for political campaign posters.

“There are so many reasons to miss the demolished bridge,” she explained.

“When Governor El-Rufa’i embarked on the reconstruction of some of the major roads in Kaduna, I particularly thought a lot about the recently demolished Kawo bridge, especially when I saw the proposed model.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture the image of the bridge until it started to go down.”

Commissioned on September 30, 2006 by a former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, during the administration of Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, the bridge was constructed by PW Nigeria.

“When I was much younger, during the holidays, we would travel to and from Kaduna and Kawo was always a landmark. When I got into the University and I travelled to Kaduna or through it, just after the Kawo bridge was where I sometimes met my uncles or cousins when I got off public transport.

“If I was passing through to Abuja, I would be sure that we were almost halfway to our destination. You would see all sorts of vendors selling their goods and chasing cars to either advertise or collect their monies beside or under the bridge.

“It always reminded me of Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos,” Mrs Abubakar said.

So, amidst all these memories, she asked herself what would happen to all those who found shelter under the bridge.

“Kaduna in no time will be more developed and I truly hope that it has a plan for those who will be affected by the change,” she said.

Mrs Abubakar thought it important to document the process of the demolition, “as well as construction of the new one so it’s on record and can be accessible in the nearest future.”

What is the aim?

“The aim is in line with my mission to document and preserve history for the next generation.

“I believe that it’s important for me as a photographer to be part of the process of this development, especially the ones happening here in Kaduna at the moment.

“This is a state that hasn’t changed much since the 1960’s. There is a common joke that goes thus: “If Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello) should get up from his grave, he would find his way home. In essence, not much has changed since then and since this is major, it needs to be documented properly,” Mrs Abubakar said.

But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs Abubakar found her work challenging.

“Moving freely without getting stopped and harassed by security officials has been a problem as there was a total lockdown initially before it was eased.

“Also, there was the matter of protecting oneself from being exposed to the virus.”

Initially, Mrs Abubakar surfed the internet to see if there was anything written on the construction of the bridge.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything. I was only able to get little information from older residents of the state but nothing concrete.

“I later learned that any information regarding the bridge’s construction would be found at the ministry of works which I obviously don’t have access to because of the lockdown imposed in the state.

“This further propelled me to look closely while documenting, and I was able to get a few details, like the construction company contracted for the job, the date of commission and by whom it was commissioned.

“In all honesty, it hasn’t been too challenging as I was able to gain access into the area, which is very secured and I am able go at off peak periods, which means I am not exposed to the machineries in motion,” she said.

A video available online shows what Kaduna’s new Kawo flyover could look like when completed, and it is similar to what is obtained in Abuja.

If there is one assignment Kaduna’s lockdown has helped Mrs Abubakar accomplish, it is documenting the demolition of Kawo bridge, a structure she has had an attachment to even before she resided in the city.

She hopes someday, her effort would be useful to researchers and historians trying to update the city’s history and piece its development process together.