‘Who Constructs Bridge With 10mm Rod?’ — Yahaya Bello Under Fire Over ‘Collapsed’ Project
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has come under fire after a bridge allegedly constructed by his administration collapsed barely one week after it was commissioned for use.
Photos of the collapsed project identified as the Ozuma Bridge in Okene are currently being circulated on social media.
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Some Nigerians who reacted to the photos posted to Twitter by Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, had said that the development was evidence that Governor Bello would not make a good leader if his supposed ambition to become president should eventually come to pass.
But speaking to THE WHISTLER in a phone interview on Monday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Promise Emmanuel, denied that any bridge had collapsed in the state.
“There is no bridge Alhaji Yahaya Bello has built that will collapse in one year,” Emmanuel said, adding that” “he (Bello) has a taste for cultural masterpiece.”
Some Twitter users had condemned the alleged use of 10mm rods to construct the bridge meant to provide passage for vehicles.
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Reacting, however, Emmanuel said, “There is no evidence linking that place to be in Kogi State. That picture, if you watch it very well, is a construction site. It means it’s an ongoing project. And that particular truck was actually a truck by the construction company that is moving things over (the bridge).
“So, it is common sensical, except for mischief makers like Omoyele Sowore, who has a deliberate grouse against the Kogi government”
The deputy governor’s spokesperson noted that Sowore had consistently attacked the Bello administration in the last two months for no just cause.
He said, “Even it is in Kogi State, it would be a bit petty on our side to say we want to respond to that kind of issue. Because Sowore has brought himself down to the level of the contractor. So, i think it’s something for both of them to argue about.
“For us, we haven’t commissioned any bridge along that axis because if you build a bridge, you’re supposed to open it up for use.
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“And then, I do not know when he (Sowore) also became a structural engineer to know when the project was actually built and commissioned. And then of course, these things are even subject to the contractor’s professionalism. It might not be the fault of those who awarded the contact. Apart from that, there are also mistakes during projects, it is not necessarily out of anybody trying to be dubious. It could just be a structural mistake or miscalculation and then something happens.”
Below are some of the reactions:
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