Senate urges FG to reconstruct collapsed Zungeru Bridge

The Senate, on Thursday, called on the Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), to embark on immediate repairs, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Zungeru bridge in Niger State

The Senate asked the Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to conduct structural assessments of the old Zungeru bridge and put in place measures to avert further collapse just as it called for evaluation of similar bridges across the country by relevant authorities.

The Red Chamber further resolved that contingency funds domiciled in the Ministry of Works and Service Wide Vote in the Ministry of Finance should be used for the urgent repair of the Zungeru bridge.

The lawmakers’ resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa.

Presenting his motion, Sani Musa called the attention of the Senate to the dilapidated state of the Zungeru Bridge, which he noted had since collapsed. Due to its deteriorating condition and bad shape, traffic has been diverted to the old bridge, originally designed for railway use but currently serving both rail and motor vehicle traffic.

He added that as a result of the diversion, the old bridge is under severe pressure, posing a significant threat of collapse, which could lead to catastrophic consequences, as over 1,000 vehicles pass through the route on daily basis in order to facilitate movement of people, essential goods and food items.

The diversion and disruption according to the lawmaker caused by the current state of the bridge, has invariably restricted human and economic activities, with food supplies particularly affected and heightened insecurity in the areas, thereby occasioning hardships on the residents and travelers, as well.

While seeking immediate intervention he cautioned that the continuous usage of the old bridge will lead to devastating social and economic consequences that could further aggravate insecurity and disrupt national supply chains, which will have far-reaching effect on the well-being of the citizenry.

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