Niger State: Senate raises alarm over imminent collapse of Zungeru Bridge

The Nigerian Senate has raised the alarm over the imminent collapse of the Zungeru bridge in Niger State.

The Lawmakers accordingly called on the Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), to as a matter of urgency, embark on immediate repairs, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the bridge .

They also urged 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 the state of bridges across the country by relevant authorities.

For funding of the emergency action, the Senate resolved that contingency funds domiciled in the Ministry of Works and Service Wide Vote in the Ministry of Finance, should be used.

Resolutions to these effects were sequel to motion sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East ).

Senator Sani Musa in the motion lamented that the Zungeru Bridge, which is a critical Federal infrastructure in the country, providing access across the Kaduna River, has collapsed, and 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 Senator, 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 travellers, as well.

Senator Sani Musa warned that if urgent intervention measures are not put in place to address the infrastructural challenge, 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.