The group has been meeting under the chairmanship of Engineer Abdul Audu and secretary Alphonsus Alhassan. The idea of the bridge came into being in 1985 after the dream of a shorter route to the South-Eastern part of Nigeria was mooted by some Igbo engineers. By its plan, the route would start from Karshi, in the South- Eastern part of Abuja through Umaisha, Guto in Nasarawa State on to Bagana in Kogi State through Abejukolo-Ankpa-Otukpa-Obollo.
The contract, it was learnt, was awarded to Digital Toll Construction Company, after Oceanic Bank and Skye Bank had indicated willingness to finance the project and subsequently pledged N17.5 billion advance out of the entire contract sum of N24 billion.
The Minister of Works at that time, Senator Sanusi Dagash, under unclear circumstances terminated the contract, for what he described as non- performance, but Digital Toll went to court and was granted its prayers that the contract cannot be arbitrarily terminated without due process.
Determined to go on with the project Skye bank stepped in, offering N7 billion as take off fund, but Digital Toll was denied access to the fund.
It was also claimed that out of the estimated contract sum of N24 billion, the sum of N6.4 billion has been released and the assessment committee set up by the federal ministry of works put the value of work done so far at N7.5 billion. However, the contractor has put the true value of work done at N9.1 billion.
The concerned indigenes have called on Igala sons and daughters in the National Assembly and other high places to ensure that the project does not fail, while necessary steps are being taken to get it back on course.
