The second Niger bridge has been declared open for use by the Federal Government, in order to ease traffic in the South East during the festive season.
Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, gave the order at the inauguration of the bridge, saying it will be opened for use for one month during the yuletide.
He however stated that bridge would be closed to traffic on January 15, 2023.
Fashola urged motorists plying the bridge to drive safely and responsibly in order not to defeat the purpose of constructing the project.
Speaking at the inauguration, Fashola said President Muhammadu Buhari’s purpose of completing the bridge was to save lives and alleviate poverty caused by wasted years hours resulting from gridlock on the old firs Niger Bridge.
He said the opening of the Second Niger Bridge would reduce the sufferings of commuters who always experienced traffic congestion during the yuletide.
“A lot of people have talked about a solution but the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration decided to build the bridge whatever it took. So, wherever the funds came from, investment income, from our oil assets, repatriation of some funds that were stolen out of Nigeria came in from the US,” Fashola said.
“The result is now what we see. When people are talking about poverty, the biggest part of it is not the monetary poverty, is the multidimensional poverty.
“When you spend two to three days trying to cross a bridge, that’s poverty, because it should take just a few minutes so that you can go and do more productive things.