The Niger Bridge: A Strategic Cross Road in the Nigerian Transportation System Daniel Olisa Iweze Depar

1. The Niger Bridge: A Strategic Cross Road in the Nigerian Transportation System Daniel OlisaIweze Department of History, Bayero University, Kano P.M.B. 3011, Kano, Nigeria. Tel: +2340836056351 E-mail:danielolisa@gmail.com or danielolisaiweze@ymail.com Being a Paper submitted to the Ninth Annual International Conference on the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility, Berlin on 6-9 October, 2011

2. River Niger has been a major water route for the movement of people and goods from the earliest times to date. The various peoples that reside along the river Niger such as Aboh, Ijaw, Oko, Asaba, Onitsha, Oguta, Ossamala, Aguleri, Anam, Ndoni on the lower Niger and lgala, Nupe on the upper Niger carried out their trading and other economic activities using the local dug-out canoes. With the advent of colonialism, the British government used river Niger in the movement of personnel and troops to ensure effective control of the conquered territories. The British introduced modern water transport modes in the form of ferries and pontoon to convey passengers and vehicles across the river Niger especially between Asaba and Onitsha. With the attainment of independence in 1960, the Nigerian government enunciated various development plans meant to place the country on a transition for sustainable development. In this regard, a huge sectoral allocation was given to the transport sector. The Niger Bridge linking Onitsha with Asaba was built based on the First National Development Plan of 1962-1968. The thrust of this paper is how the Niger bridge has remain a vital strategic highway in the nation`s road transport network linking the east with the west and other parts of the country. It considers the impact of the Niger Bridge on integrating and stimulating the economic activities of Asaba and Onitsha as well as other communities in the area. Abstract

3. The development of critical infrastructure is vital in the quest for economic development of any country. A functional transportation system enhances commerce and movement of goods and services at reduced cost This is why countries with vibrant economy driven by a robust manufacturing sector ensure that key infrastructure, particularly transportation is efficient. This paper focuses on the strategic importance of the Niger bridge across river Niger between Asaba and Onitsha. It examines the factors that necessitated the construction of the of the bridge in 1965. The paper considers how the Niger bridge has been a vital link that connects not only Asaba and Onitsha, but also the western, eastern, southern and northern regions of the country and contends that the bridge constitutes a vital strategic highway in Nigerian transportation system. In the earliest time, water transport was a common means of transport among the lgbo who reside along river Niger such as Onitsha, Oguta, Ossamari, Anam in the east and Asaba, Oko and Aboh in the west. River Niger was a major transport network that linked the people with Ijaw in the south and Igala in the north.1 Before the advent of the British, the people depended on the canoes for carrying various products from the Lower Niger to Aboh, Onitsha and beyond to Idah in Igala Kingdom.1 Introduction

4. The transport system of Nigeria in the early period of British colonial administration was relatively under-developed. The British observed that a good transport system was necessary for spreading British influence and opening up the country for modern commercial activities which was an essential part of colonialism.2 The political and economic implications of the under-developed system of transport in Nigeria was highlighted by Lord Fredrick Lugard, the British colonial administrator of Northern Nigeria when he remarked and contended that the problem of transportation is the “axiom of African development.”3 He further argued that due to the inefficiency of the transportation network, the local producer had great difficulty in disposing his exportable produce, and therefore, had no money to buy imported goods.4 The British Government realized that the transport system of the country had to improve before peace and order as well as any kind of commercial progress could be guaranteed.

5. However, the transport system of the country did not improve appreciably between 1860 and 1900. The inland waterways continued to provide the only effective means of transport and communication in the coastal areas and along river Niger and river Benue routes. The inland waterways were used by the British administrative officers in the course of carrying out their official duties. Local traders also used the rivers in transporting bulky export products like palm produce down to the coast and in supplying imported goods to the people in the hinterlands. To ensure economic development of Nigeria, modern transport systems were introduced to facilitate the pace of the transition from a predominantly subsistence economy to a modern exchange economy. Lord Lugard recognized the decisive role of modern transport system in achieving the commercial progress of the country and posits that the “material development of Africa may be summed up in one word-transport.”5 In consonance with Lugard’s pronouncement, Alan Mcphee, another British avers that “half the tragedy of Africa lies in transport.”6. The British colonial administration responded to the urgent problems facing the country’s transportation system by introducing modern means of transport such as rails, motor road–lorries, buses and cars, all of which were vital to the economic exploitation and political domination of Nigeria. The British began the introduction of modern transport with railway construction and later road development. Improvements made in road transport in the early period of colonial administration were largely insignificant as the people in the Nigerian area depended heavily on the existing traditional means of transport.There were no vehicles in the period until 1909 when vehicles were imported into the country.

6. The genesis of the development of ferry services across river Niger between Asaba and Onitsha started in 1857 with the arrival of Dayspring Ferry Service operated by the British merchants.7 In the colonial period, the Federal Inland Waterways Department operated its first ferry called “Shanahan” named after Reverend Father Shanahan, a renowned Roman Catholic Missionary on the Niger in 1927. In 1936 based on the petition sponsored by Asaba community to the then Lieutenant-Governor of Southern Nigeria, Mr. W. E. Hunt, then Resident in Enugu, a motor driven ferry boat was introduced to convey people and goods across the Niger from Asaba to Onitsha in 1937.8 The motor driven ferry could convey two cars or more lorries at a time, none of which exceeded 50 cwt laden or 80 cwt unladen. Charges for cars ranged from 15s to 25s depending on the weight; and lorries weighing between 40 to 60 cwt were charged £2 light and £2.10 laden. Heavier lorries with weight from 60 to 100 cwt were charged £2.10s or £3 per trip.9 Colonial River Transport Across River Niger

7. The Shanahan ferry service was replaced in 1950 by a new motor ferry called “Oloma”. The new ferry was more efficient than “Shanahan” and it could convey between three and eight cars or five lorries at a time, though the limits of the weight were restricted to 60 cwt. laden and 100 cwt unladen.10 In addition to government marine services, there were privately owned fleets such as the United African Company (UAC) established by the Niger River Transport Company (NRTC) in1950. The Niger River Transport Company operated the largest fleet in Nigeria and it started with stern-wheelers and later had twenty-seven powered craft. By 1953, the number of barges increased to sixty-one barges with a total life capacity of 19,000 tons. In 1960, it operated twenty-four tugs and ninety-six barges of a total 22,220 tons, representing two-thirds of the total river capacity.11 There was the Holts Transport Ltd, a subsidiary of John Holts Company Ltd which operated eighteen tugs and fifty-nine barges of a total tonnage of 6,650. There was also the Central Water Transport Company of Onitsha which ran a cattle service on the Niamey-Onitsha route.12

8. From the 1950s until the construction of the Niger Bridge in 1965, it was estimated that 2,500 vehicles were conveyed across river Niger annually and most of the cars belonged to the British government officials. With the opening of the Niger Bridge to traffic in January 1966, briskness activities slowed down at the water front.13 The unique feature of river transport of Asaba and Onitsha is that river Niger was navigable all year round and this made the people to operate local canoes and ferry-boats in the course of their economic and social contacts. Dug-out canoes operated by the people complemented the British colonial government and privately owned Europeans trading firms ferries. Canoes were used to ferry people and goods between fixed points for short and moderate distances. The distance across the Niger from Asaba to Onitsha was about four miles and canoe ferries operated at intervals of two hours in which passengers paid £6d for each 60lb of baggage carried.14 The canoes were laden with yams, cooking pots, palm oil and other items of trade and this made the ferrying of passengers and goods across river Niger to become an important aspect of life of the people for many years.

9. The prime objective of the British conquest of Nigeria was economic exploitation and they knew that a firm political control might not be easily achieved because of the prevailing inadequate, inefficient and backward transportation system. They believed that economic “development” of the country could only be achieved through the provision of modern transport facilities. However, little efforts were made by the British colonial government to redress the malfunctional transport system as the various programmes and policies they introduced were limited in their objectives, thereby making the colonial transport system to be inadequate and it remained till the attainment of independence in 1960. There was phenomenal increase in the growth of roads in the 1950s as the roads that carried the bulk of Nigeria’s produce and passenger traffic. This justified the huge Federal government investment in road building as contained in the 1962-68 National Development Plan in which the planned public expenditure on roads was N150.6 million. The Second National Development Plan was launched in June 1962 to cover up a period of six years in which a total investment expenditure of about N2,132 million was proposed. In terms of sectoral allocation of funds, the public sector investment was dominated by transport which received 21.3% of N1,352.3 million.15 The Building of the Niger Bridge in 1965

10. The Niger bridge was built in 1965 based on the Second National Development Plan of 1962-1968. The building of the bridge was the outcome of mutual political bargaining between the leaders of National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) the dominant political party in the Eastern and Midwestern Regions and Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) which controlled the Northern Region. The construction of the Niger Bridge had the official support of NPC and NCNC that controlled the Federal Government. The inclusion of the projects in the 1962-1968 National Development Plan was the logical strategic policy of the two coalition parties. This is because the Midwest Region was considered as the periphery of the Eastern Region which was a NCNC stronghold. The creation of the Midwest Region in 1963 out of the Western Region gave a fillip to the construction of the Niger bridge two years later in 1965.16

11. The Niger Bridge was designed by the Netherlands Engineering Consultants of the Hague, Holland (NEDECO) which carried out an investigation on the practicability of constructing a bridge across the river Niger from Asaba to Onitsha in the 1950s.17 The Niger Bridge was built by Dumez Construction Company in 1965 at the estimated cost of £6.75 million (N10 million).18 The primary aim of building the Niger bridge was as a result of the Federal government‘s policy of expansion and upgrading of transport facilities in the country in order to provide the necessary level of transport infrastructure to support the nation’s development programmes. The building of the bridge was also meant to integrate the economic fortunes of the Eastern, Midwestern, Western and Northern Regions.19 It was also predicated by the nature of Nigeria‘s economic demands to meet the changing needs of the time. It was a response to the rapid growth of all sectors of the economy precipitated by the tremendous increase in the volume of domestic trade that took place in the country. Thus, there was a need to move heavy freight of agricultural inputs and outputs, merchandise as well as large numbers of traders, workers and commuters.

12. The Niger bridge at its completion was comprised of eight by four hundred and twenty feet (8 x 420 ft.) with a designed carriageway of thirty-six feet centre truss and consisted of pedestrian at both sides of the carriageway. It was completed, commissioned and opened for traffic in December 1965 by the then Prime Minister, late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa in January 1966. The commissioning of the bridge was one of last public functions before his assassination on 15 January, 1966. 20

13. The immediate impact of the building of the Niger Bridge was that it shortened the distance covered by the ferry services from Asaba to Onitsha. and slowed down briskness of activities at the waterfront. This was because of the huge traffic volumes and axle loads which the ferries dreadfully proved inadequate to handle. The bridge enhanced easy movement of heavy freight and improved the inter-urban traffic between the towns and regions. This development established the basic pattern of East-West and North-South road network in Nigeria.21 The bridge removed the bottlenecks associated with the use of local canoes and ferry services. The previous modes of crossing the Niger were laborious, slow and time-consuming in their operations. They were also constrained by their limited carrying capacity of passengers and tonnage of goods. The river Niger ferry routes had the inherent problem of fixed routes which were made worst by the fact that the routes were not direct between origin and destination which required trans-shipment in order to serve points that were far away from the waterways. The Strategic Importance of The Niger Bridge

14. The motorised Pontoon ferries provided later were slower, laborious, expensive, unreliable and risky. The local hand-pulled canoes on the other hand, were very slow, more tasking and time-consuming. When the tide was too fast, all operations were halted and traffic at both ends of Asaba and Onitsha came to a stand still. The bridge displaced the existing ferries and provided an efficient, convenient, quicker and regular crossing of the Niger.22 A short distance of four miles from Asaba to Onitsha take up to two hours by the canoes to cover and the use vehicle ferry services, the time consumed was considerable.23 Stressing further on the limitations of the use of ferry services in the colonial period, Walker comments that: …in the 1950s, few vehicles crossed the ferry, 2,500 vehicles only were ferried annually. Limitations of the weight of vehicle using the ferry had to be imposed to prevent damage to the ferry ramps. A load a ton was too much.24 The construction of the bridge did not only removed the hassles associated with ferrying services but it served as an evacuation route which facilitated the growth of inter-state and regional commerce by connecting prominent centres of trade in the country such as Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba and Port-Harcourt in the east with Benin, Ibadan, Lagos, the nation`s economic hub and the northern cities of Kaduna, Jos and Kano. It stimulated economic activities by ensuring greater economic integration of Asaba, Onitsha as well as other communities along the Niger and acts as a veritable gateway to the east and west as well as other parts of Nigeria.

15. There is no reliable statistical data to show the number of vehicles that crossed the Niger bridge before and after its construction. The observations of waterways clearing officers during their tours of duty are not a dependable statistical data upon which to construct the annual traffic densities and the number of tonnage carried. Available information indicated that in the 1950s about 2,5000 vehicles were ferried annually. It is discernible from personal observation that the traffic that ply the bridge has been considerably high since its construction in 1965 up to the present time. An Onitsha based businessman captured this vital impact of the bridge when he observed that: The Niger Bridge brought an enormous relief to us (traders). We found it difficult to extend our business transactions to the other side; (sic) Western region. River Niger was a great barrier as we restricted our trading activities to the East. The building of the bridge propelled us to cross the Niger to trade as far afield as Lagos and other parts of the country.25

16. Despite the socio-economic importance of the bridge, it had an adverse effect on the local people whose occupation was partly dependent on canoe ferrying. One of the local operators of canoe ferry on the river Niger sadly states that: The building of the bridge disrupted our canoe ferrying trade. My source of livelihood abruptly came to end and I found it very difficult to change to another occupation, because canoe ferrying was part of me. Anytime l catch a glimpse at that transport edifice, (Niger Bridge)the memory lingers in my mind.26 However, the building of the bridge undeniably made transporters to provide cheap, fast, value-added services and commuting between the two towns and communities in the regions. This has enhanced the movement of people, goods and services which reshaped the east-west connection and made Asaba-Onitsha highway to handle one of the busiest traffic in Nigeria.

17. The economic activities stimulated by the building of the Niger bridge were not sustained for more than three years as the bridge was destroyed during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970. On August 9 1967, Biafran soldiers successfully over-ran the Midwestern Region and made an inroad into the Western Region and attempted to take Lagos, the then Nigerian capital. In October 1967, the federal troops recaptured the Midwestern Region and attempted to capture Onitsha but it met stiff resistance from the Biafran forces while trying to cross the Niger Bridge. The Federal soldiers continued advance from Asaba to Onitsha led to the blowing up of the Niger Bridge at the Onitsha end by the Biafran forces. It was a decisive military tactics meant to impede the Federal soldiers advance into the Biafran enclave. The destruction of the bridge constituted a major setback to the Federal troops incursion into the Biafran territory until Biafra surrendered in January 1970.27

18. With the destruction of the bridge, the secessionist areas were isolated through an embargo on merchant shipping and other river traffic (except oil tankers) as the bridge was closed to merchandise traffic.28 During the period, the crossing of the Niger was risky and the economic growth achieved in the pre-civil war years were greatly hampered. This development led to the re-emergence of the use of motorised out-boat ferries and local hand-pulled canoes as the only means of transport across the river Niger during the war and the immediate post-civil war period before the rebuilding of the bridge. There was significant increase in the briskness of activities in the use of ferries for the conveyance of people and goods across the Niger.29 The Niger Bridge and various roads damaged in the area were reconstructed based on the Second National Development Plan of 1970-1974. The plan was launched shortly after the end of the civil war with the aim of reconstructing a war battered economy and promoting economic and social development in Nigeria. The bridge was reconstructed by Dumez construction company and this re-established the shortest land route between the East Central State and Midwest Western and other parts of the country. The two spans on the Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge damaged during the civil war were replaced with a fourteen-foot wide bailey at an estimated cost of £1.5 million.30

19. Part of irony of Nigerian situation is that most of the infrastructure inherited from the British colonial administration and those constructed in the immediate post-independence period, (Niger bridge inclusive) were either not maintained or had been left to dilapidate. The condition of Nigerian road transport infrastructure is reported to rank among the worst in the world. The maintenance of road transport infrastructure by the successive federal governments has gradually waned. When the Niger Bridge was constructed in 1965, it was dazzling and beautiful and travel across the Niger was pleasant and eventful. It stimulated and enhanced economic activities as traders could travel from one part of the country to another and trading items and agricultural produce were transported with ease.31 However, as from the 1990s, deterioration sets in, making the once celebrated transport network to rot away. According to transport analysts, the decay of the nation`s road infrastructure is as a result of a combination of factors of poor maintenance, shoddy jobs by the contractors, increased traffic and population. It was reported that only 15 per cent of Nigerian`s road network are in good condition. Data from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stated that as at 1998, there were over seven million registered vehicles operating on the Nigerian roads daily and road transport accounts for over 75 per cent of mobility in the country.32 The Need for a Second Niger Bridge

20. The present condition of the Niger bridge is terrible. This is evident in the harrowing experiences and agonising tales associated with the crossing the Niger bridge especially during Christmas, New year celebrations. During the festivities, traffic jam or hold-up was a common feature subjecting the bridge to carrying vehicles such as trailers, trucks and other haulage vehicles with  heavy loads on them . It is the only bridge in Nigeria one will see vehicles heavily loaded with goods parked for one to two hours or more without movement. The consequence is that journey of shortest distance across the Niger from Asaba to Onitsha that supposed to take a few minutes stretched to endless hours which constituted untold pains to motorists and passengers. The current discourse on Niger bridge has dwelled more on its dilapidated state. The bridge that was built over forty-five years ago has been over-utilized, but its maintenance has been irregular. Over the years, experts in bridge industry had warned on the imminent collapse of the Niger-Bridge owing to over-use and/or heavy burden, traffic congestion and old-age. The initial warnings was given more than two decades ago during the military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida, who tasked the Nigerian Society of Engineers to draw a master-plan for the construction of the second Niger-Bridge project. It is believed that the Niger-Bridge is shaking and sinking yet no serious attention has been given to this problem.33

21. It is the busiest and most congested bridge in Nigeria today. Out of he Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, the South-south, South-east and South-west and North-central, zones substantially depend on the Niger Bridge for sustenance of their commerce and industry. Similarly, both human and material movements are conveyed to and from the North-east and North-west geo-political zones through Niger Bridge. Considering the age of the bridge and the average daily traffic density on which the bridge was design over four decades ago, it is currently being overburdened by increased traffic. The observation of the former Minister of Works, Mrs Deizani Madueke is instructive. She asserts that “further model simulation of the bridge trusses showed that some of the bridge trusses were overstressed due to overloading”.34

22. Since it has been established that the bridge is overloaded, there is urgent need to build the second Niger Bridge. Though, the former President, OlusegunObasanjo included the building of second Niger bridge in his administration`s economic agenda, it never came to fruition until at the twilight of his administration in 2007 when he urged Anambra State and Delta State governments to contribute funds towards the construction of the second Niger bridge project under the public-private partnership scheme where the Federal Government would contribute some of the funds and the two state governments and private investors would contribute the remaining funds for the execution of the project. The issue of building of the second Niger bridge has lingered and its construction has remain a mirage because of politics, a factor that has been the bane of implementation of many worthy projects in Nigeria. It is believed that the present administration of President Goodluck Jonathan will have the political will to ensure that the building of the second Niger bridge becomes a reality in conformity with the transformation policy agenda of his administration. This would be a great relief to the motorists and commuters and invariably save the vital transport edifice, the Niger bridge from imminent collapse.

23. This paper has focused on the road transport sub-sector because it is the dominant mode of transportation in Nigeria. It is estimated that road transport represents 90 per cent of the total volume of transportation. The paper has demonstrated that the Niger Bridge strategically located on the Asaba-Onitsha highway serves as an efficient means of conveying passengers and goods than the ferries. The bridge replaced the former creaking and arduous ferry crossing of the Niger in the colonial and immediate post-independence era. It links the various regions in the country regions particularly the commercial and industrial nerve centres of Onitsha, Aba, Nnewi and Port-Harcourt in the east with the cities of Asaba, Benin, Ibadan and Lagos, the nation`s economic hub in the west as well as Abuja, Kaduna, Jos, Zaria, Kano other cities in the north which portrays its national significance and commercial importance. Conclusion

24. The Niger bridge which was built in 1965 is one of the oldest bridges in Nigeria. The bridge handles heavy traffic, but unfortunately it was not designed to carry such loads it carries now. It is getting older and structurally deficient which poses great danger to the motorists and commuters. Despite its strategic importance in the nation`s transportation network and commercial significance, the maintenance of the Niger Bridge has been neglected by the Nigerian successive governments. This is evident in the way the Nigerian governments have been paying lip-service to the issue of building the second Niger bridge since the 1990s which is yet to come to fruition due to political challenges.This is despite an ever-increasing amount of stress the bridge is subjected to due largely to increase in traffic that cross the bridge on daily basis.

25. 1. G.O. Ogunremi, Counting the Camels: Economics of Transportation in Pre-Industrial Nigeria. New York: Nok Publisher,1982, p.71. 2. R.O Ekundare, An Economic History of Nigeria 1860-1960.New York: Africana Publishing Company 1973, p.286 3. D. J. F. Lugard, The Dual Mandate in Tropical Africa...,p.462 4. D. J. F. Lugard, The Dual Mandate in Tropical Africa...,p.5 5. ibid., p.5 6. A. Mcphee, Economic Revolution in British West Africa. (2nd Edition) London: Frank Cass, 1971, p.106. 7. A.G. Hopkins, A. G. (1973), An Economic History of West Africa. London: Longman Group Ltd., 1973, p.197 8.Asaba History and Development. Benin: Manla Enterprises Ltd., 1979, pp. 49-50 9. G. Walker, Traffic and Transport in Nigeria: London: H.M.S.O., 1959, p. 261. 10. F. Jakael, The History of Nigerian Railway: Opening the Nation to the Sea, Air and Transportation, Vol. I. Ibadan: Spectrum Books,1997, p.74. 11. R.O. Ekundare, An Economic History of Nigeria 1860-1960..., p.70. 12. F. Jakael, The History of Nigerian Railway..., pp.70-71 13. Asaba History and Development.... p.50 End-notes

26. 14. G. Walker, (1959), Traffic..., p. 261. 15 .See the Second National Development Plan, 1962-1968. Federal Ministry of Economic Development, Lagos. 16. Daniel Iweze, “A History of Igbo Transportation Business in Kano: A Case Study of the Luxurious Buses from 1970-2000”. Unpublished B.A. History Dissertation, Bayero University, Kano, 2000, p.150 17. ibid. p.150 18. Second National Development Plan,1962-68...,p.7 19. F. Jaekel, Traffic and Transport in Nigeria ..., p.89 20. ibid.p.89 21. Daniel Iweze, ‟A History of Transport...”, p.15 22. ibid.p.154 23. G. Walker, (1959), Traffic and Transport in Nigeria..., p.261. 24. ibid. 25. Interview with Nicolas Azuka at Onitsha on 1st October, 2010 26. Interview with Ben Iweze at Oko on 28th September, 2010 27. Interview with Col. J.O.G. Achuzia (Rtd.) at Asaba on 28 June, 2010. He was a former Biafran military officer who bombed the Niger Bridge during the Nigerian Civil War. 28 Daniel Iweze, ‟A History of Transport...”, p.153 29. East Central Ministry of lnformation and Home Affairs, Progress in Reconstruction. Enugu: Government Printer, 1970, p.1. 30. War Damage to Roads, Bridges, Water Works, And Equipment in the East Central State of Nigeria. Official Document No.3 of 1970 Ministry of Works, Housing And Transport. Enugu: Government Printer. p.5 31. Ponle, ‟Revamping the Famished Nigerian Roads” in Nigerian Tribune 19 May, 2009. 32. ‟Federal Road Maintenance Agency: Reforming Road Transportation in Nigeria” in Daily Trust, May 5, 201, p.25. 33. Petition by Anambra Human Rights Coalition to Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the then Acting President and Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria, titled ‟As The 1st Onitsha Niger-Bridge Collapses, The Time To Execute The 2nd Niger-Bridge Project Is Now!” Generated on 25 March 2011. See Also, Daniel Olisa Iweze, “Travails on the Nigerian Roads: The Case of the Luxury Bus”. Being a paper submitted for the 4th European Conference on African Studies held at Uppsala, Sweden in June 2011. 34. ThisDay Newspaper, November 5, 2008.

27. officer who bombed the Niger Bridge during the Nigerian Civil War. 28 . Daniel Iweze, ‟A History of Transport System Between Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State from 1954-1991.” Unpublished M.A. History Dissertation, Bayero University, Kano,2000, p.153 29. East Central Ministry of lnformation and Home Affairs, Progress in Reconstruction. Enugu: Government Printer, 1970, p.1. 30. War Damage to Roads, Bridges, Water Works, And Equipment in the East Central State of Nigeria. Official Document No.3 of 1970 Ministry of Works, Housing And Transport. Enugu: Government Printer. p.5 31. Ponle, ‟Revamping the Famished Nigerian Roads” in Nigerian Tribune 19 May, 2009. 32. ‟Federal Road Maintenance Agency: Reforming Road Transportation in Nigeria” in Daily Trust, May 5, 2011, p.25. 33. Petition by Anambra Human Rights Coalition to Dr. GoodluckEbele Jonathan the then Acting President and Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria, titled ‟As The 1st Onitsha Niger-Bridge Collapses, The Time To Execute The 2nd Niger-Bridge Project Is Now!” Generated on 25 March 2011. See Also, Daniel OlisaIweze, “Travails on the Nigerian Roads: The Case of the Luxury Bus”. Being a paper submitted for the 4th European Conference on African Studies held at Uppsala, Sweden in June 2011. 34.ThisDay Newspaper, November 5, 2008.