PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the release of ₦16.7 billion for the immediate reconstruction of the Mokwa Bridge in Niger State, which was destroyed by flooding in May, 2025.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced this in Abakaliki on Saturday after a meeting with the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.
Idris, who is leading a Federal Government delegation on a three-day tour of projects and citizen engagements in the South-East, said the approval underscores the administration’s responsiveness to urgent infrastructure needs.
“We want to thank Mr. President, and we want to thank the Minister of Works. We jointly discussed this and approached Mr. President, who graciously approved it.
“It means a lot to the people. It’s ₦16.7 billion to reconstruct the bridge — a 10-span bridge,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Rabiu Ibrahim, on Saturday.
Idris also commended Umahi for his swift response in the wake of the disaster, including dispatching experts to assess the damage shortly after the bridge was washed away.
According to him, the approval for the bridge reconstruction will be “music to the ears of the government and people of Niger State”.
Umahi described President Tinubu as a compassionate and listening leader who was committed to solving the challenges confronting the citizens.
“The President approved the immediate reconstruction of the bridge as requested by the minister. He graciously approved because of him,” he said.
The former Ebonyi governor stated that the latest round of approvals for infrastructure provision spanned all the geo-political zones of the country.
He listed some of the approvals to include the reconstruction of the washed-away five-span bridge in Wukari, Taraba State; the Lokoja Bridge; the permanent repair of the washed-away section of the Afikpo bridge in Ebonyi to Abia and Imo State; the Keffi Flyover Bridge; the Jebba Bridge in Kwara State; seven bridges in Edo State; and a bridge in Kebbi State.
Over 150 people in the Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger died following the devastating flood that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents in May.
The Niger State government has said a total of 1,354 people were directly affected by the flood disaster in Mokwa, Niger State.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Murtala Bagana, who disclosed this during the visit of Vice President Kashim Shettima to the area in June, said 4,534 individuals were displaced from their homes, with 458 households impacted.
Bagana explained that total of 265 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, two major roads were affected, and five key bridges collapsed, including the vital Goodwill Bridge along Mokwa-Jaba Road.
President Tinubu, who was represented by Shettima at the visit, had approved the immediate release of ₦2 billion for the reconstruction of all houses affected by the flood.