Fix Aleto-Akpajo Bridge, Now

It is no longer news that the ageing Aleto-Akpajo Bridge that carries an average of 250,000 vehicles over the Okulo River between Akpajo and Eleme leading to the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road in Rivers State, is currently one of Nigeria’s most endangered landmarks.
Experts have raised alarm several times that the bridge which leads to Eleme – the location of two NNPC refineries, the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited (IEPL), the Onne Sea Port and the Nigerian Naval Training School, is in danger of caving in due to the stationary vehicular weight caused by traffic gridlocks along that axis of the East-West Road and needs immediate repairs.
Piqued by the dangers posed by the worsening condition of the bridge, members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, recently, staged a public protest to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the deteriorating state of the bridge, demanding urgent rehabilitation work on the facility.
The lawmakers, who marched on the bridge serving as the only link between Eleme, Tai, Gokana, Khana, Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas of Rivers State to Akwa Ibom and Cross River States from the Ogoni axis, displayed banners with several inscriptions, describing the bridge as a death trap.
Putting the condition of the bridge in proper perspective, the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Dumnamene Dekor, said during the protest: “I am the immediate past Commissioner for Works in Rivers State here and I have a very good knowledge of this project. The truth is that this bridge we stand on will not survive more than the next three months”.
Said he: “I am aware that the Rivers State Ministry of Works and the Rivers State Government had approved the reconstruction of this particular bridge. As you can see, these two bridges are not properly aligned and that is why the bottom part is washed away and everything about the bridge is gone.”
It is against this backdrop that, The Tide endorses the lawmakers’ call on the Federal Government to declare an emergency on the bridge to save the nation from looming economic misfortunes and possible loss of lives and property. We consider it extremely expedient that the Federal Ministry of Works responds swiftly to arrest the looming national calamity if the Aleto-Akpajo Bridge is allowed to collapse.
Considering the strategic role the bridge constructed about 30 years ago plays in the socio-economic life of the country, we think the Federal Government does not require this much pressure to live up to its responsibility of reconstructing the bridge.
We are worried by the Federal Government’s neglect of experts’ observation that the bridge could collapse with a little more force on those rods holding it. That could indicate that we do not need an earthquake for urgent action to be taken and to drive home the point that the bridge in its present condition portends grave danger and catastrophe.
Also disturbing is the revelation made during the protest by the member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, that a motion moved and supported on the floor of the House regarding the poor condition of federal infrastructure in Rivers State was not being honoured by the Executive arm.
While we agree no less with the Rivers State Government’s repeated emphasis on the urgent need for the Federal Government to include roads in Rivers State in the N148 billion recently released for roads, we hold that the endangered Aleto-Akpajo Bridge and other parts of the East-West Road deserve priority attention.These kinds of assets are difficult to rebuild and our preoccupation now should be to keep them in full and useful repair, and maintenance for them to really serve their useful purposes.
We equally call on Rivers indigenes who hold strategic appointments at the federal level to show more commitment to the development of Rivers State by attracting federal presence to the state in terms of projects execution. We insist that the development of basic infrastructure such as roads and bridges in the State which is the hub of the oil and gas industry in the country, and, by extension, has attracted huge commercial activities, should not be politicised.
We also fear that posterity may not forgive such sons and daughters of Rivers State if the second term of the APC-led Federal Government in which they play prominent roles, terminates without committing a reasonable fund into the rehabilitation of federal projects, particularly the East-West Road. It is on this note that we call for the immediate commencement of reconstruction work on the Aleto Bridge now. Beyond the needed repairs, keeping the bridge’s maintenance books above water also is a challenge.