President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry for Works to repair the damaged bridge linking the north and southern parts of the country. A recent flood in Mokwa, Niger State, washed away the bridge.
Malam Bello Goronyo, Minister of State for Works, disclosed this on Tuesday when he led a ministry delegation on a condolence visit to Mokwa to commiserate with the people over the flood disaster.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the flood disaster that occurred on May 29 claimed the lives of 158 people.
During the visit, Goronyo told the village head of Mokwa that the president directed the ministry to provide an access road for vehicular movement and do everything possible to restore the damaged bridge.
“The President directed me to come and commiserate with the government and people of Niger state over the ugly incident.
“In his directives, he said we should do everything possible to restore the access road for vehicular movement on the damaged bridge washed away by the flood.
“The president directed that we provide an access road for vehicular movement and create an access road due to the high volume of articulated vehicles carrying goods from the north to the south,” he said.
He said that the ministry would continue to do more in the country’s infrastructure areas, particularly in Niger, which hosts many Federal road networks due to its strategic location connecting the North and South.
Responding, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu, the village head of Mokwa (Ndalila of Mokwa), disclosed that over 200 houses and four bridges collapsed, and many people are still missing.
He said the affected bridges included the rail and the main bridges connecting the North and South. He appealed to the government to resettle affected persons.
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of Niger, Yakubu Garba, thanked President Tinubu for the condolence visit and expressed happiness over the show of concern from the Federal government.
