A nation that can boast of anything one can think of, and yet has "eighty thousand  structurally deficient" bridges, need to rethink. The figure was simply too untrue to be associated with the only remaining economic, military and technological super power.

 

It wasn't long when  the U.S Government--the world's biggest philanthropist,  failed to fend for her own Hurricane victims. Having not yet forgotten the sight of those helpless men, women and children of New Orleans, the recent revelation of eighty thousand structurally deficient bridges in the U.S, has simply become the harbinger of a consistent misplacement of priority.

 

 How many bridges has the US Govt. built in Iraq and Afghanistan, when she cannot afford to construct an enduring levee in New Orleans? This is a nation well known for her production of hi-tech medical equipments, and yet can not afford an advance medical examination procedure for her average citizen.

 

Misplacement of priority, is equally a constant feature of the successive Nigerian governments. A factor that is one of the hindrances to her infrastructural development. Nations are better appraised and commended by her own citizens than foreigners, whom in most cases, does so out of cheap profiteering.  A Sierra-Leonian friend of mine, once told me that he had great admiration for the late Gen. Abacha. And when I tried to know why he said so, he simply told me that the late General spent much to stabilize his country, Sierra-Leone.

 

 Having said that, I could not openly fault his remarks. But my knowledge that all those efforts in Sierra-Leone, which gulped billions of Dollars, could as well alleviate Nigeria's infrastructural and social problems, made me unappreciative of what should have been a proud moment as a citizen of Nigeria. 

 

 CNN's Larry King, once described Nigeria as "a country that exports democracy that she does not have, and imports fuel that she has in abundance"  Larry made this statement during the Abacha years, but these ironies remains alive in a variety of ways..

 

It couldn't be more heart broken in a nation, where suggestions are in the offing in the Eastern part, to levy the citizens the sum of 100 Naira each, in order to complete an abandoned federal road project..

 

If any thing could be learnt from the Minnesota tragedy, It is the very fact that our own Niger Bridge, and the over-used Lagos bridges could end up collapsing very soon.

 

Prior to the collapse of the Minnesota bridge, Its structural anamnesis, If you will, has a lot in common with that of the Asaba--Onitsha Niger Bridge. In the first place, the two bridges were completed in 1966. Like the U.S bridge, cracks were as well reported in the metal components of the Niger bridge in the 1990s, and to which repairs were said to have been carried out.

 

.Therefore, with the sudden collapse of the Minnesota bridge, there was now the need for Nigerian bridges with high vehicular traffic, such as the Niger bridge to be brought down forthwith .

 

It will be recalled that the Ex Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo, flagged off the construction of a new bridge over the Niger. An occasion that took place on the eve of the end of his administration. However, with the nature of the construction deal, the out-come is not yet certain, as everything is subject to the co-operation of the B.O.T partners. So, at the moment, the Bridge is still going through the usual tortuous use.

 

The Christmas is not far off, and this is the most nerve wrecking period about the Niger bridge. A time when the light and heavy duty vehicles are caught up for days in a snail-like hold-up on top of the bridge. In this way, exerting their life and dead load pressures on the poor structure. It must be emphasized that this problem is not exclusive to the Niger bridge alone.

 

Some Lagos state bridges, on the one hand, have become heavy-duty vehicle parks. Buses heading into Lagos Island from Oshodi, Agege, Ikeja, Ikorodu and other parts of Lagos state, have turned the Lagos Island end of the bridge a park, where they solicit for commuters. The Orile/Ijora flyovers are not left out in this dangerous abuse, as the Fuel Tanker drivers, with their intrepid traits, have turned the bridges into their final anchor as well.

 

If the Yar'Adua administration would be the-listening-and--the-doing type, issues concerning our infrastructure should be special to him. How else can an enduring political legacy be made, If not to empathize with the people you lead, through soothing words and actions.