By CHARLES IWUOHA

Apex lgbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has urged the Federal Government to name the Second Niger Bridge after Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu. The project is up to 95 per cent completion, according to Minister of Works, Mr Babatunde Fashola, when he recently visited the site.

Ohanaeze in a statement signed by its factional Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isigozoro, said the fulfillment of the Government’s promises to Nigerians and Ndigbo in particular, would strengthen the level of people’s confidence in expecting more from the Buhari administration.

The statement reads in part: "We are conscious of the fact that there are about 3.3 km of uncompleted road from the Asaba axis and 7km of uncompleted road from the Anambra axis of the 2nd Niger Bridge.

“We are hopeful that the contractors will expedite actions for the realization of 10.3 km roads from both axis of the roads to ensure that commuters and road users will enjoy the benefits of the 2nd Niger Bridge during the festive period of Christmas and New Year.

“This is a legacy project that Ndigbo will always refer to as the mother of all infrastructural facilities completed by Buhari’s Government and should be renamed after Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu instead of the proposed Buhari’s Bridge as its name,” the group said.

According to Ohanaeze, Ndigbo are relieved of unbelievable treaties of previous Governments on the Second Niger Bridge and also pardoned President Buhari over his inability to fulfill other 2015 electoral promises, which included the revamping of the Enugu coal mine.

It said that the announcement of the completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge, including a 35-km bypass road linking Anambra and Delta States through a concession under a Public Private Partnership scheme has covered other “sins” of the Buhari administration.

The statement further stated that the 2nd Niger Bridge has restored the confidence of Ndigbo that the project started on September 1, 2018 will fully be ready for inauguration by December 2022.

While lauding the federal government for the feat, the group urged President Buhari to complete other projects in the South-East before May 2023.