The Julius Berger and NSIA Motorways Investment Company (JB-NMIC) Consortium, the preferred bidder for the development of the Second River Niger Bridge Project, has described reports suggesting that work on the bridge has been suspended as untrue and unfounded.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Uche Orji, CEO, NSIA and Wolfgang Goetsch, MD, Julius Berger, which was made available to The Guardian yesterday in Abuja.
‘’Contrary to recent reports, work on the Second River Niger Bridge Project is on course and continue to progress according to schedule to ensure timely completion of the Bridge, which is set to be executed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for a concessional period of 25 years through the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT),’’ the statement said.
This is coming on the heels of a media report in some national dailies suggesting that work on the bridge has been suspended due to non-compliance with environmental laws.
The statement equally said that the nominated EPC contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has commenced full mobilisation to site and timely execution of all scheduled activities is anticipated.
The consortium also highlights, “compliance with Nigeria Environmental Laws continue to be deemed a paramount priority and that Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), is an intrinsic part of the project, which the environmental laws governing Nigeria and in collaboration with the relevant ministries.”
