Umahi Bans Checkpoints Near 1st Niger Bridge for Safety

Senator Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, has issued a prohibition against the establishment of checkpoints within 200 metres of the head of the 1st Niger Bridge. This directive was made during an inspection of ongoing maintenance work on the bridge, where he was accompanied by Emenike Chukwudi Timothy, the Controller of Works in Anambra State.

Umahi appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to enforce this prohibition and urged the governments of Anambra and Delta states to ensure compliance among their taskforces. He warned that creating traffic hold-ups on the bridge is dangerous.

Although he announced that the bridge would be opened for use next week, he mentioned that additional maintenance work would be necessary, including applying special paints and converting 100 metres of road at the bridge-head to concrete pavements. Umahi praised the quality of work done by the contractors, SKECC, and expressed concern over vandalism, announcing plans to install CCTV cameras to monitor the bridge.