The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered that pictures of President Bola Tinubu be mounted on the First Niger Bridge once ongoing rehabilitation work is completed, as he urged South East voters to weigh the President’s infrastructure record ahead of the 2027 election.
Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday during an inspection of repair work on the bridge, which links Anambra and Delta states. The structure was shut down earlier this month after vandals stripped it of bolts, nuts and sections of the expansion joint.
He said all unauthorised advertisements currently on the bridge would be pulled down once work wraps up, with Tinubu’s pictures taking their place. Anyone wishing to advertise on the bridge going forward, he added, would have to apply through the Ministry of Works.
“Once we are done with work on this bridge, I want all the illegal adverts on this bridge removed. 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,” Umahi said. “The President has worked so hard and we need to reward his hard work by decorating this bridge with his pictures.”
The minister used the inspection to make a direct appeal to South East voters, arguing that the region should not overlook Tinubu’s development efforts in 2027 despite having largely voted against him in the last election.
“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,” he said.
Umahi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, also took aim at supporters of Labour Party’s 2023 candidate Peter Obi, challenging them to point to comparable projects Obi has brought to the South East.
“I have a bragging right in Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and I’m proud of him and will be willing to show anyone who wants to know all that he has done,” he said. “Peter Obi is our brother and we do not hate him, but we need to be realistic this time. I don’t care about people abusing me on social media, they should only tell us what Obi has attracted to the South East.”
On the bridge itself, Umahi said the Federal Ministry of Works still expects to reopen it next week, after the original September 21 target was pushed back by persistent rainfall that slowed repair work. He insisted the government would not rush the reopening ahead of critical structural work being finished, and directed that no security checkpoint be stationed within 200 metres of the bridge, warning that checkpoints could worsen traffic and add pressure to the structure.
Rehabilitation work has covered replacement of vandalised bolts and expansion joints, repairs to the carriageway and walkways, and installation of CCTV cameras and streetlights, alongside other structural upgrades. Umahi also directed the governors of Anambra and Delta states to monitor scrap markets in their states over concerns about infrastructure vandalism, and said dredging activities near the bridge would be restricted where necessary, with structural assessments continuing to ensure safety.
He said one carriageway could reopen first while work continues on the other, pending the concrete reaching required strength, and thanked the Anambra and Delta state governments for their cooperation during the closure, apologising to motorists for the disruption.
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