ONITSHA / ABUJA — The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Works, has officially ordered a full two-week temporary closure of the historic First Niger Bridge connecting Onitsha in Anambra State to Asaba in Delta State to facilitate urgent emergency maintenance, structural repairs, and security upgrades.
The directive was announced on Friday, September 4, 2026, in a formal press statement issued by the Anambra State Field Headquarters of the Ministry of Works and signed by the State Controller of Works, Mr. Timothy Emenike. The total closure will take effect from Monday, September 7, 2026, and is scheduled to run through Monday, September 21, 2026.
The decision follows an on-site inspection led by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, who uncovered extensive structural deterioration along the carriageway, aggravated by persistent vandalism. Scavengers and criminal syndicates had stripped critical steel components from the bridge, including expansion joint steelworks, stanchion supports, and vital structural nuts and bolts, posing severe safety risks to thousands of daily commuters.
To execute the project rapidly, the Federal Government has mobilized engineering firm Messrs SKECC—the contractor currently handling section Km 0+000 to Km 20+000 of the Onitsha–Enugu Dual Carriageway—to commence round-the-clock, day-and-night emergency operations throughout the two-week shutdown. The scope of work includes milling and stripping away the degraded asphalt, laying a fresh 40mm asphalt wearing surface, restoring vandalized expansion joints and steel supports, and installing solar-powered streetlights accompanied by closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras to deter future scavenger activities.
Throughout the duration of the closure, all inter-state vehicular movement, heavy duty haulage trucks, and passenger transit will be diverted to the nearby Second Niger Bridge route passing through Obosi towards Asaba and western destinations. Federal road authorities and traffic enforcement agencies have deployed safety barriers, advance warning signs, and diversion officers to manage traffic flow, urging motorists to observe speed limits and exercise patience during the repair period.
