Spent the last few days traveling in the SS and SE, visiting FG #Infrastructure projects. What I saw makes me very hopeful about the future of Nigeria.

High point: getting on a boat on River Niger, to watch the amazing work JB is doing on the new Bridge.

#Thread loading soon.

So my #infrastructure journey in the last one week:

Port Harcourt—Ogoniland (Bonny-Bodo Bridges)—Afam (240MW Afam Fast Power Plant—Aba (Ariaria Market Electrification Project—Onitsha/Asaba (Second Niger Bridge)—Warri (Delta Ports)—Itakpe (#ItakpeWarriRail)

#PMBMeansBusiness

The 1st site I visited: the Bonny-Bodo Bridges and Road Project in Ogoniland

Scope: 3 main bridges (across Afa Creek, Opobo Channel & Nanabie Creek) + Road —38km Total — connecting Bodo on Mainland to Bonny Island

Flagged-off by @ProfOsinbajo Oct2017, ~40 years after conception

In this video you can see the Afa Creek, the first of 3 Creeks/Channels that the Bridge(s) will cross. There‘ll be 3 main bridges (and a number of smaller ones) - totaling ~2km in length; rest of the 38km project will be an asphalt road connecting the bridges to the communities.

From Bonny—Boko Bridge in Ogoniland we moved to Afam, also in Rivers State, to see the Afam Fast Power Project. A 240MW Power Plant built by the @MBuhari Admin. Construction commenced 2017/18, project now at 95% completion. 8 Trailer-Mounted Turbines, 30MW each
#PMBMeansBusiness

Very much enjoyed the tour of Afam Fast Power Plant. The 240MW Plant (installed by GE, for @FMPWH) has been built on the site of the decommissioned Afam 3 Power Plant

All 8 Turbines already installed, gas connection is ready, transformers & evacuation in place

#PMBMeansBusiness

More Photos from the 240MW Afam Fast Power Plant (8 X 30MW Trailer-Mounted Turbines), constructed by the @MBuhari Administration (@FMPWH), in Afam, Rivers State. #PMBMeansBusiness #IncrementalPower #TheYearOfInfrastructure

From Afam in Rivers State we traveled to Aba, Abia State. Ariaria Market, one of the largest markets in W/Africa, w/ close to 40,000 shops. There, @FMPWH & @realREANigeria are deploying a Power Plant to supply electricity to the Market, under the #EnergizingEconomies Initiative.

More Photos from the Ariaria Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, a Public-Private Partnership Initiative of the @MBuhari Admin. Nov/Dec 2018, ~4,000 shops in the market were hooked up to the Plant, and are now enjoying stable, metered electricity. Phase 2 loading. #PMBMeansBusiness

From Aba, we moved to Onitsha & Asaba, where we got a Tour of the Second Niger Bridge being constructed.

The 2nd Niger Bridge will connect Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State, across the River Niger.

[The existing Bridge was constructed in 1965] #PMBMeansBusiness

The kind of Tour I got of the Second Niger Bridge, and all the technical details that were explained, I am seriously considering applying to COREN for a honorary something in Engineering. I don sabe this construction matter pass some of you wey go school go do am sef

Facts about 2nd Niger Bridge Project:

Phase 1 comprises total of 11.9km in length: 1.6km Main Bridge + 10.3km 6-Lane Approach Road (~3km in Asaba & ~7km in Onitsha)

Phase 1 also includes:
Toll Plaza (Asaba Side)
Owerri Interchange(Onitsha)
2 smaller Bridges (Oko Amakom & Atani)

Facts about 2nd Niger Bridge Project (cont’d):

-Phase 1 (see prev tweet) starts in the Asaba community of Oko Amakom, and ends in the Onitsha community of Atani

-Est completion date of the 11.6km Phase 1: Feb 2022

-The @MBuhari Admin PAID N33 billion for the Project in Q3 2018

2NB PHOTO-ESSAY

Photos 1 & 2: That structure is called an Abutment (the Base on which the Bridge will sit, at either end)

Photo 3: That’s called a Pier (with ‘Pier Head’ mounted): The ‘pillars’ that will hold up the bridge

Photo 4: Pier under construction

Photos: 12 Jan 2019

Look at the water mark on these completed piers, on the Asaba Side of the Bridge. Dry land now, because this is what‘s known as Low Water season (Dec—July).

Marks show how high the water rises during High Water season (July—Dec). Can rise as much as 10m, submerging everything

The #video you’ve been waiting for. We got a boat tour of the River Niger, to see the dredging/dam work and the lowering of Bored Piles going on in the River. No be small work!!! #PMBMeansBusiness #TheYearOfInfrastructure #FGinSE #GovtAtWorkNG
cc. @Chxta

What’s going on here?

Julius Berger is lowering a Bored Pile (54m length, 2m diameter) into the River Niger. The Piles will form the base on which the Piers of the Second Niger Bridge will sit.

[January 2019] #infrastructure #PMBMeansBusiness

These are PHOTOS of the site of the 6-Lane Highway Julius Berger is building,in Oko Amakom community of Onitsha, as part of 2nd Niger Bridge Project(the road will lead to the Bridge)

All the land has been cleared. (That white material is ‘geotextile’ fabric,for soil improvement)

Oko Amakom is on the Asaba side, sorry. Not Onitsha.

The Onitsha community is called Atani.

The 6-Lane Expressway starts in Oko Amakom (Asaba) and ends in Atani (Onitsha).

In between will be the Bridge itself.

VIDEO: Julius Berger Main Yard in Onitsha, for the Second Niger Bridge project. Comprising Reinforcement and Bending Yard, Plant and Equipment Workshop,
Carpentry Workshop, Store, Clinic etc. I’m told the project will employ 1,200 direct workers. #TheYearOfInfrastructure

More Photos from the Second Niger Bridge:

This is the Atani Creek (in Onitsha) in the foreground, being diverted as part of the construction project. In the background is the structure being built for the Creek diversion. #infrastructure

Those Piers you’ve seen earlier in the thread, this is a new one under construction.

Starts with driving 45m—54m Piles into the ground/water
Then there’s Reinforcement of the Pile Cap
Then the Piers are cast
Then the Pier Head
Then the Bearing
Then the Beam of the bridge

When we were done at Asaba/Onitsha, the plan was to catch a flight from Asaba or Owerri back to Abuja. And then I realized we could seize the opportunity to go to Warri & ride on the #WarriItakpeRail, to Itakpe, & then drive from Itakpe to Abuja via Lokoja. Which is what we did.

So we drove from Asaba to Warri, to spend the night. Early the next morning we set off from the Hotel to Ujevwu Community, in Udu LGA, where the #ItakpeWarriRail Train would take off.

It arrived shortly before 8am, & we got tickets (free for now, commercial ops haven’t started)

2nd Niger Bridge site. In the (distant) background is Oko Amakom community in Asaba, & cleared site of a 6-lane Highway that’ll be part of the Bridge. Foreground is the Piers being constructed, & a temporarily sandfilled portion of the River, known as a “dam.” #PMBMeansBusiness