The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed the removal of all unauthorised advertisements from the First Niger Bridge upon completion of its ongoing rehabilitation, saying the facility would instead be beautified with pictures of President Bola Tinubu while any future commercial advertisement would require approval from the Federal Ministry of Works.
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Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday during an inspection of rehabilitation works on the bridge linking Anambra and Delta states, where he also ordered additional solar-powered lighting, completion of the bridge’s CCTV surveillance system and its immediate connection to the Second Niger Bridge.
“Once we are done with work on this bridge, I want all the illegal adverts on this bridge removed,” the minister said. He added that anyone seeking to advertise on the bridge would have to apply to the Ministry of Works.
Umahi said that, in the meantime, the bridge would be beautified with pictures of President Tinubu, explaining that the display was intended as recognition of what he described as the President’s intervention and infrastructure work in the South-East.
The directive came as the Federal Government prepares to reopen the First Niger Bridge after emergency rehabilitation triggered by the vandalism of critical structural components, including bolts, nuts and portions of the bridge’s expansion-joint steelwork.
The bridge was initially closed from September 7 to September 21, but the rehabilitation period was extended by another week following persistent rainfall that affected the work schedule.
Umahi said the government would not be pressured into reopening the bridge before the necessary structural work was completed.
According to him, the contractor, SKECC, had replaced and secured vandalised bolts, while a specialised expansion joint removed from the bridge had been manufactured and flown into Nigeria for installation. Other works carried out include repairs to the carriageway and walkways, asphalt work, streetlights and CCTV installation.
He said the bridge was expected to reopen next week, subject to completion of the outstanding works and confirmation that the structure was safe for motorists.
Umahi also directed that structural components, caps, kerbs and other parts of the bridge be repainted, while the entrance and exit sections would receive additional attention. Reports from the inspection indicate that traffic would initially be restored on one carriageway before work proceeds on the other side.
Beyond the surface rehabilitation, the minister announced a further structural assessment of the ageing bridge.
He said he had constituted a committee to carry out what he described as an “empirical evaluation” of the condition of the bridge both below and above the water level, with the committee expected to report back to him by the end of the following working day.
Umahi further directed that additional solar lights be installed and that work on the CCTV system be completed and linked immediately to the surveillance infrastructure at the Second Niger Bridge.
Channels Television separately reported that the minister ordered an assessment of structural elements both above and below the water level, alongside completion of the CCTV system and additional solar-powered streetlights.
The minister also raised concerns about vandalism and the theft of public infrastructure, saying government had spent substantial resources replacing components removed from the bridge.
He called on the governors of Anambra and Delta states to closely monitor scrap-metal markets, arguing that stolen public infrastructure often finds its way into the scrap trade.
“When I was governor, I banned all scrap activities in Ebonyi State because they contribute to the vandalisation of public infrastructure,” Umahi said, while urging residents to treat protection of critical infrastructure as a collective responsibility and report suspected vandals to security agencies.
Umahi also announced moves to restrict sand dredging around bridges, warning that uncontrolled dredging could threaten their structural integrity.
According to him, the Ministry of Works would communicate with the military, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant authorities on restricting dredging activities within specified distances of bridges nationwide.
The minister similarly expressed concern about security checkpoints close to the First Niger Bridge, saying prolonged queues caused by roadblocks could result in unnecessary static loading on the structure.
He said the ministry would write security authorities to discourage checkpoints within about 200 metres of the bridge approaches.
On the proposed display of President Tinubu’s photographs, Umahi said the President deserved to be appreciated for what he described as his administration’s infrastructure interventions in the South-East.
“The President has worked so hard and we need to reward his hard work by decorating this bridge with his pictures,” Umahi said.
The minister also used the inspection to make a political appeal ahead of the 2027 general election, urging voters in the South-East to be “strategic” in their electoral choices.
Umahi said the region had not voted strongly for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election but argued that the administration was nevertheless undertaking projects in the South-East. He also referred to former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, describing him as “our brother” while challenging Obi’s supporters to point to projects they believed he had attracted to the region. Those comments represented Umahi’s political assessment and campaign argument rather than findings about the comparative records of the political figures concerned.
The Federal Ministry of Works had earlier confirmed that comprehensive rehabilitation was underway on the First Niger Bridge and that intervention work was also continuing on approaches to the Second Niger Bridge affected by flooding.
Umahi thanked motorists and residents of Anambra and Delta states for their patience during the closure, saying the inconvenience was necessary to address safety concerns.
He also thanked both state governments for their cooperation and said the rehabilitation would leave the bridge in a healthier condition and extend its service life.
Speaking on behalf of the Anambra and Delta governments during the inspection, Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, commended the intervention and the pace of the rehabilitation, saying residents had shown patience because of the importance of ensuring the bridge was safe.
The Controller of Works in Anambra State, Timothy Emenike, also commended the progress recorded on the project.
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