President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, inaugurated the Second Niger Bridge, the bridge linking Asaba and Onitsha in Delta and Anambra, named after him.
Buhari, who performed the inauguration via Zoom, said that the bridge would improve the economic activities of the areas.
According to him, the projects handed over on Tuesday symbolised the country’s sharp focus on delivering prosperity.
Buhari said, "The Second Niger Bridge will facilitate transport connectivity within the region.
"Those crossing the bridge will no longer experience gridlock as it will help to improve socioeconomic activities of the southeast.
"In eight years, I am proud to say that we have developed Nigeria’s infrastructure to GDP from about 20% to over 40% and that is not a small undertaking."
The president, however, said he was not consulted before the second Niger bridge was named after him.
In his remarks, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta said that the bridge would help boost the nation’s economy and the ease of doing business between the two states.
Okowa, represented by his chief of staff, Ovie Agas, said that the bridge would also create jobs and enhance economic growth within the states.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra commended Buhari for keeping to his campaign promises of completing and delivering the bridge to the people of southeast.
Soludo said, "I am personally overjoyed. Today is a day of joy, we’ve come to express our gratitude, history is being made today.
"The people of the southeast have agitated and we’ve complained about five key infrastructural projects.
"These five key projects are supposed to be game changers to the economy of the southeeast, one of these projects is the dredging of the River Niger.
"The next happens to be the Second Niger Bridge, the third is the expressway that will lead from here directly to Lokoja, the fourth is the gas pipeline, while the fifth obviously is the railway line.
"Of these five, it is our pleasure that we have come to tick good to one of them and a major one at that, and that is the Second Niger Bridge," he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Dr Lars Richter, said that it was an honour for them to be part of the success story of delivering the bridge to the people of Delta and Anambra.