34-YEAR OLD ENUGU-EBONYI BRIDGE COLLAPSES

The 34-year-old Ovu River Bridge, which is located on a federal
highway linking Enugu and Ebonyi states, has collapsed.
The bridge links Ebonyi State, through Uburu in Ohaozara Local
Government Area, and Enugu State, through Agbani-Ugboka-Nara-Nkerefi
in Nkanu East council.
PUNCH Metrolearnt on Wednesday that the bridge collapsed under the
weight of a truck, which was plying it late at night.
Villagers at the foot of the bridge told our correspondent that the
truck was carrying 900 bags of cement when the bridge caved in, as
against 600 bags stipulated for heavy-duty vehicles.
President of Nkerefi Town Union, Mr. Joseph Mkpume, said before the
town could decide on the action to take, the driver of the truck
connived with some people and evacuated the truck and cement.
"If we, the villagers, had been smarter than the driver, we would have
held him, the truck and the goods, and ensure its firm comes to fix
the bridge," said Mkpume.
He said, "Our people are now stranded and no one is going to enjoy
this Christmas because our movement has automatically been restricted.
"Those of them who must go to Ebonyi State for an urgent matter would
now have to go out of our community, then pass by Enugu town, through
Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, before getting to their destination."
"This will take them about four times the original journey. It then
means that they will spend half a day travelling."
The Nkerefi Town Union president stated that the matter was made worse
because the federal road on which the bridge is built had been in a
terrible state for more than a decade.
"We have had to ply this federal highway filled with pot holes for
more than a decade. Now, the only bridge on the road that links the
two states – Enugu and Ebonyi – has caved in," Mkpume added.
Senior officials of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency were also at
the scene of the incident.
They toldPUNCH Metrothat an analysis of the damaged bridge had been
carried out, adding that it would cost no less than N50m to fix it.
The South-East Representative of FERMA, Mr. Nnoli Nnaji, said the
analysis carried out showed there was a structural defect.
Nnoli said FERMA had already tabled the bridge on its emergency
schedule even though it was never part of its budget for the year
2013.
"We are making plans to get funds for an emergency repair. We are
certain to provide the estimated cost of N50m for work to begin. We
have no option because the whole thing is affecting the people's
commercial and farming activities."
Nnoli, however, called on indigenes to ensure that heavy-duty vehicles
were not allowed to ply the bridge when fixed.