Umahi Turns Rehabilitated Niger Bridge Into Tinubu Campaign Billboard, Campaigns for APC Votes as Commuters Count Losses

The First Niger Bridge is set to reopen next week after a two-week emergency closure, but Minister of Works David Umahi has turned the freshly rehabilitated bridge into a campaign platform for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, directing that all advertising space on the bridge be replaced with pictures of the President.

Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday while inspecting the rehabilitation work at the Onitsha end of the bridge, saying the display would reward what he described as Tinubu’s “hard work” and infrastructure investments in the South-East. “Once we are done with work on this bridge, I want all the illegal adverts on this bridge removed,” Umahi said. “Anyone who wants to advertise should apply to the Ministry of Works. For now, the bridge will be decorated with the pictures of President Tinubu”.

The minister did not stop at the bridge decoration. He used the inspection to campaign for the 2027 presidential election, urging South-East voters not to “throw away” their votes and arguing that although the region did not strongly support Tinubu in 2023, it had benefited from projects under his administration. “I want to say to Ndigbo that we should not throw away our votes in 2027. In the last election we did not vote for him so well, yet he is bringing projects to our region,” Umahi said.

Umahi, a member of the APC, also challenged supporters of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, to identify projects the former Anambra governor had attracted to the South-East. “Peter Obi is our brother and we do not hate him, but we need to be realistic this time,” Umahi said. “I don’t care about people abusing me on social media, they should only tell us what Obi has attracted to the South-East”.

Abati Condemns Directive as Discriminatory

Arise News anchor Reuben Abati has condemned Umahi’s directive, describing it as discriminatory and inconsistent with the principles of a democratic campaign season. “Where I disagree with him is the Minister saying the bridge should be decorated only with the posters of President Bola Tinubu. No, that’s discriminatory. In a political season, no,” Abati said on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday. “The posters that should be there should be the posters of all candidates. It’s campaign season. People can campaign. If posters are going to be there, there should be no monopoly. Every candidate should be allowed to have a say”.

Abati emphasised that the bridge was rehabilitated with public funds and should not be monopolised by one political party. “If there will be no poster, then even President Tinubu’s poster must not be there. There should be no discrimination because the money that the Ministry of Works used to rehabilitate that old bridge is Nigerians’ money. It is our money. So whether you are AA or you are ZLP or you are whatever, you can have access to that road. It can’t be for only APC people”.

Bridge Closure Caused Hardship for Commuters and Traders

The bridge was closed to traffic from September 7 to September 21 for emergency rehabilitation after vandals removed critical structural components, including bolts, nuts and portions of the expansion joint steelwork. The closure was extended by one week due to persistent rainfall, forcing motorists to divert to the Second Niger Bridge through Obosi.

The closure took a heavy toll on commuters and traders. Transport fares between Asaba and Onitsha rose sharply, with passengers paying about N1,500 for a one-way trip and between N1,500 and N2,000 for the return journey. For a route that should take minutes, the diversions added hours to travel times. Traders who depend on the bridge to move goods between the South-East and South-South were forced to absorb higher transport costs or pass them on to consumers already struggling with inflation.

The rehabilitation work included replacing vandalised bolts and expansion joints, repairs to the carriageway and walkways, installation of CCTV cameras and solar-powered streetlights. Umahi said the government would not reopen the bridge until critical structural work had been completed, and one carriageway may initially reopen while work continues on the other after the concrete reaches the required strength.

Vandalism Blamed on Scrap Dealers, Governors Asked to Monitor Markets

Umahi also directed the governors of Anambra and Delta states to monitor scrap markets in their states, warning that the trade could contribute to the vandalism of public infrastructure. “We will write to the governors of Anambra and Delta states to tell them to monitor the scrap market closely. When I was governor, I banned all scrap activities in Ebonyi State because they contribute to the vandalisation of public infrastructure,” Umahi said. “Vandalism is costing the government huge sums of money”.

The minister said the government had spent huge amounts replacing the bolts, nuts and expansion joints stolen from the bridge, and announced that CCTV cameras would be installed to track criminal activity. He also directed that no security checkpoint should be established within 200 metres of the bridge to avoid worsening traffic congestion and putting additional pressure on the structure.

The National Association of Nigerian Students has also criticised the directive, describing it as a misuse of public infrastructure for political purposes. The group said the bridge belongs to all Nigerians and should not be converted into a campaign billboard for any political party.

For the millions of Nigerians who depend on the First Niger Bridge to travel between the South-East and South-South, the rehabilitation is welcome news after years of neglect. But the decision to decorate the bridge with the President’s pictures and use the occasion to campaign for the 2027 election has turned a public infrastructure project into a political spectacle, and many are asking whether the bridge was fixed for Nigerians or for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

About The Author

West Africa Weekly

author

See author's posts