Opinion

WHY LOKOJA URGENTLY NEEDS A SECOND BRIDGE

Published

4 weeks ago

April 18, 2026

By Olubunmi Mayaki

Chaos erupted on Good Friday, April 3, 2026, when a monstrous gridlock stretching over 30 kilometres paralysed the Abuja-Lokoja Highway just beyond the Murtala Muhammed Bridge. The immediate trigger was the ongoing construction at the Natacho section, which forced traffic into a single lane merging toward Lokoja.

As impatient drivers attempted to bypass the snarl by violating the one-way rule, the jam rapidly extended backwards toward the Obajana Junction. Commuters wasted hours in the blistering heat, with some even resorting to sleeping in their vehicles. This was no isolated incident. The dualisation of the Abuja-Lokoja Highway, a critical artery linking the Federal Capital Territory to Southern Nigeria, has been a tale of prolonged neglect. Initiated under President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999–2007), the project was inherited by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, then passed to Goodluck Jonathan and the late Muhammadu Buhari. Across these administrations, progress remained painfully slow, with contractors frequently abandoning sites after completing only short stretches.

The current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has revived the work, with some sections now being constructed in durable concrete. Nigerians can only hope this renewed effort marks a genuine departure from the familiar pattern of abandonment. As I sat trapped in the endless queue that day, several pressing questions came to mind:

First, Lokoja desperately needs a modern, wider second bridge over the River Niger. The existing Murtala Muhammed Bridge, built in the 1970s, has become a notorious bottleneck. Any new crossing should be sited away from the constrained Natacho corridor, where difficult topography limits road expansion.

Second, the security risks are alarming. In such a dense, stationary traffic jam, any emergency — from a major accident to a deliberate attack — could result in catastrophic loss of life and property. A single incident could turn the highway into a death trap for thousands.

Third, why has the Federal Government continued to ignore the vast potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways? Lokoja sits at the historic confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue. A well-developed water transport system — with functional jetties, navigable channels, and commercial vessels — could provide a reliable alternative route southward, significantly easing pressure on the road and reducing gridlocks, accidents, and fuel waste.

The Easter gridlock served as a stark reminder: the Abuja-Lokoja corridor is not just another road; it is a national lifeline. Continuing to rely on a single ageing bridge and a perennially troubled highway is unsustainable. The Federal Government must act decisively.

Prioritising the construction of a second, state-of-the-art bridge in Lokoja, alongside genuine investment in river transport infrastructure, would save time, cut costs, protect lives, and unlock economic opportunities for the region and the country at large.

The time for half-measures is over. Lokoja — and Nigeria — cannot afford another decade of avoidable suffering on this vital route.

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Opinion

Homeland Security or Homeland Patronage?

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2026

The Gleamer

…Nigeria Cannot Keep Inventing Offices to Avoid Real Reform

By Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi

Nigeria awoke recently to the announcement of a new political creation: the Special Adviser on Homeland Security. Predictably, the cheerleaders of the administration—the “City Boys”, the “Renewed Hope” chorus, and the usual orbit of political loyalists—erupted in celebration. To hear them tell it, this single appointment is the longawaited masterstroke that will end kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and terrorism.

If only governance were that easy.
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is not a problem of insufficient titles. It is a problem of insufficient political will. And no number of new offices, however grandly named, can substitute for leadership that is ready to confront the roots of our national decay.

The Real Question: What Is Wrong With What We Already Have?

Before we applaud another bureaucratic invention, we must ask:
Why are the existing security structures failing? Is it a lack of capacity? A lack of coordination? Or a lack of sincerity at the highest levels?

Creating a new “Homeland Security” office without fixing the rot in the current system is like building a new roof on a house with collapsing foundations. It may look impressive, but it solves nothing.

Nigeria’s Endless Cycle of Cosmetic Reforms

We have seen this pattern before. From the era of military rule to the present civilian administrations, Nigerians have been told that privatization, concessioning, and PPPs were the magic keys to prosperity. Instead, national assets were sold to political insiders at giveaway prices, often financed with public funds. The result?

*Electricity worse than it was in the 1970s

*Roads that endanger rather than connect

*Schools and hospitals in states of abandonment

More recently, fuel subsidy removal, naira depreciation, aggressive borrowing, and new tax regimes have produced predictable outcomes: rising poverty, millions of outofschool children, and a healthcare system out of reach for ordinary citizens.

These are not reforms. They are rituals—performed for applause, not for impact.

Copying Foreign Models Without Local Understanding

Some argue that the United States and United Kingdom have Departments of Homeland Security, so Nigeria must follow suit. But this comparison is shallow. Nigeria already has a functional equivalent: the Ministry of Interior.
What we lack is not structure.
What we lack is competence, independence, and accountability.

Recruiting the right people—and allowing them to work without political interference—would do far more for national security than multiplying offices to reward political allies.

When Governance Becomes Patronage

A nation begins to fail when public institutions forget their purpose. Today, many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have been reduced to distribution centres for rice, wrappers, and handouts. When institutions become charity kiosks, the system collapses—and no new adviser or special assistant can rescue it.

Nigeria Deserves More Than Symbolism

Nigeria cannot continue inflating the cost of governance while deflating the dignity of governance. We cannot keep inventing new offices to mask old failures. What the country needs is not another adviser. It needs courage. It needs sincerity. It needs leadership that values results over rituals.

Until then, every new appointment—no matter how elegantly packaged—will remain what it truly is: Another food for the boys.

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