RismadarVoice Reporters
September 25, 2026
The Anambra State Government has opposed a directive by Minister of Works Dave Umahi to display photographs of President Bola Tinubu on the First Niger Bridge after ongoing rehabilitation work is completed.
The state government said attention should instead remain on restoring the bridge and ensuring its safety, even as the Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance backed the minister’s proposal.
Umahi issued the directive on Wednesday while inspecting maintenance work on the bridge, which connects Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State.
He ordered the removal of illegal advertisements from the bridge and said they should be replaced with photographs of Tinubu in recognition of the President’s intervention in its rehabilitation.
“Once we are done with work on this bridge, I want all the illegal adverts on this bridge removed. Anyone who wants to advertise should apply to the Ministry of Works. For now, the bridge will be decorated with the pictures of President Tinubu,” Umahi said.
“The President has worked so hard, and we need to reward his hard work by decorating this bridge with his pictures.”
The bridge was closed to traffic earlier in September following the discovery that some structural components had been vandalised, prompting the Federal Government to begin emergency repairs.
The rehabilitation includes replacing vandalised bolts, nuts and sections of expansion joints. Umahi also announced plans for additional solar-powered lighting and the completion of closed-circuit television cameras.
He said a committee had been established to assess the condition of the bridge above and below the water level.
Reacting to the proposed display of Tinubu’s photographs, Anambra Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr Law Mefor, said there were more pressing issues concerning the bridge.
“There are more important things they should be talking about than putting pictures on the bridge. If they like, they can even put Umahi’s statues, put President’s statues, if that is what is more important to them,” Mefor said.
However, APGA State Chairman, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, backed the directive, arguing that displaying the President’s photograph on federal infrastructure was not inappropriate.
“In every federal establishment in the states nationwide, you have the photographs of the President,” Obi-Okoye said.
“So, I find absolutely nothing wrong in putting the photographs of the President on the Niger Bridge as directed by the Minister of Works. Everything shouldn’t be politics. He is the President of the country.”
Opposition political figures in Anambra also criticised the proposal.
African Democratic Congress chieftain Dr Ndubuisi Nwobu described it as unnecessary, arguing that the rehabilitation was financed with public funds rather than the President’s personal resources.
The state chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Hon. Ikem Uzoezie, similarly criticised the proposal, saying a government should not seek personal recognition for carrying out publicly funded infrastructure projects.
Legal practitioner Chijioke Ndubuisi also opposed the plan, arguing that displaying the photographs could negatively affect the appearance of the bridge.
Attempts to obtain a response from Anambra State APC Chairman Senator Emma Anosike were unsuccessful, as calls and a message sent to him had not received a response at the time of the report.
