Jubilation as work begins on Taraba’s strategic bridge

RESIDENTS of River Ibi in Ibi council area of the southern senatorial district of Taraba have expressed joy at the mobililisation of equipment for construction work on the bridge linking the state with the rest of the North Central region.

The infrastructure has been abandoned by successive administrations since independence.

The Guardian learnt that the strategic bridge connects the state to Plateau, Benue and Nassarawa, and is pivotal to easing travels to Kaduna, Bauchi Abuja, among others.

The elated indigenes thanked the federal and state governments for “wiping off” their tears.

They told The Guardian that on completion, the facility would not only boost economic activities in the council and the state at large, but also save them the stress and risk of travelling several kilometers for business.

The people said the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Darius Ishaku to fix the gateway was the “best thing that has ever happened to us here.”

In his remarks, the council chairman, Bala Bako, agreed that, “when this bridge is finally completed, it is going to open an economic gate for the state because this is the only local government council that links all the states in the North Central.”

Bako, who doubles as state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria ( ALGON), lauded both administrations for taking the bull by the horns.

He pledged security for contractors handling the project, urging the people to give all the cooperation needed to execute the work. The council boss said everything relating to compensation had been addressed to avoid delay in the delivery date of the project.

Also speaking, state chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ), David Nyah, who visited the site in company of his new executive, urged support for the Buhari and Ishaku administrations.

He tasked media practitioners on identifying with credible platforms in reportage of developmental projects in the state.