First Niger Bridge between Onitsha and Asaba reopens after 38 days of rehabilitation

15 October 2026

Nigeria's Minister of Works, David Umahi, reopened the First Niger Bridge on Thursday, 15 October 2026, after 38 days of closure. The bridge, which links Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State, was shut on 7 September for rehabilitation. The closure had been scheduled to run from 7 to 21 September but was extended because of persistent rainfall. Federal officials, representatives of Anambra and Delta states and traditional rulers from both states attended the ceremony, at which the minister cut a ribbon to mark the reopening. The works included structural repairs and resurfacing, solar-powered streetlights, closed-circuit television cameras, median barriers, three designated turnaround points and security monitoring centres at both ends of the bridge. The First Niger Bridge was completed in 1965 by the French firm Dumez. The Second Niger Bridge, begun in 2018 to ease pressure on the first, was completed and commissioned in May 2023.