Fashola Reaffirms 2nd Niger Bridge 2022 Completion Date For 2022 , Attributes Delay To IPOB

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola

The Federal Government, on Thursday, said the Second Niger Bridge (now named Muhammadu Buhari Bridge) and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would be completed before the end of 2022.

This came as the government said there were no existing contracts to impose tolls on federal roads constructed under the Sukuk fund.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this to State House correspondents during a special ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Fashola also explained that the initial February completion date projection for the Second Niger Bridge failed due to several factors such as the COVID-19 lockdown, #EndSARS protests, and the sit-at-home orders by the Indigenous People of Biafra which delayed works on the Anambra side of the bridge.

He, however, added that the project was already at 91 per cent completion stage.

The minister was in the State House to offer progress reports on key collaborations between the Federal Government and state governments on the implementation of major reforms being executed by the ministry and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund.

According to him, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Second Niger Bridge are on course to be completed in 2022.

“The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be delivered this year, subject to how we navigate the pricing issues. Second Niger Bridge also this year, while the main carriageway of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway is scheduled for completion by the second quarter of 2023 before the President leaves office at the end of his tenure.