Photographer
The inspiration came to Mrs Halima Abubakar to document the demolition of Kaduna’s Kawo bridge long before the state’s lockdown in the second quarter of 2020. But she did not begin work until the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on the world and the state governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i, declared a lockdown that forced the photographer to stay indoors and begin to wonder how she was going to pass the time.
Mrs. Abubakar had always seen Kaduna’s Kawo bridge as a meeting point and a home to some. It was also a refuse dump site, a place where some relieved themselves, and finally, a place for political campaign posters.
“There are so many reasons to miss the demolished bridge,” she explained. “When Governor El-Rufa’i embarked on the reconstruction of some of the major roads in Kaduna, I particularly thought a lot about the recently demolished Kawo bridge, especially when I saw the proposed model.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture the image of the bridge until it started to go down.”
Commissioned on September 30, 2006 by a former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, during the administration of Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, the bridge was constructed by PW Nigeria.
“When I was much younger, during the holidays, we would travel to and from Kaduna and Kawo was always a landmark. When I got into the University and I travelled to Kaduna or through it, just after the Kawo bridge was where I sometimes met my uncles or cousins when I got off public transport. If I was passing through to Abuja, I would be sure that we were almost halfway to our destination. You would see all sorts of vendors selling their goods and chasing cars to either advertise or collect their monies beside or under the bridge. It always reminded me of Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos,” Mrs Abubakar said.
So, amidst all these memories, she asked herself what would happen to all those who found shelter under the bridge. “Kaduna in no time will be more developed and I truly hope that it has a plan for those who will be affected by the change,” she said. Mrs Abubakar thought it important to document the process of the demolition, “as well as construction of the new one so it’s on record and can be accessible in the nearest future.” What is the aim? “The aim is in line with my mission to document and preserve history for the next generation. I believe that it’s important for me as a photographer to be part of the process of this development, especially the ones happening here in Kaduna at the moment. This is a state that hasn’t changed much since the 1960’s. There is a common joke that goes thus: “If
Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello) should get up from his grave, he would find his way home. In essence, not much has changed since then and since this is major, it