Former presidential spokesman and Arise Television anchor, Reuben Abati, has criticised Works Minister David Umahi over his directive to display President Bola Tinubu’s photographs on the First Niger Bridge.
Umahi gave the directive on Wednesday during an inspection of ongoing rehabilitation work on the bridge, which connects Onitsha in Anambra State with Asaba in Delta State.
The minister said illegal advertisements on the bridge should be removed and that the structure should be decorated with Tinubu’s photographs in recognition of the President’s intervention in the rehabilitation project.
Reacting during Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Abati disagreed with the directive, arguing that displaying only the President’s photographs on a public infrastructure could be discriminatory, particularly with the 2027 general elections approaching.
According to Abati, if political posters are permitted on the bridge, candidates from other political parties should also be allowed to display their campaign materials under the same conditions.
He argued that the First Niger Bridge was rehabilitated with public funds and should therefore not be presented as the exclusive platform of one political party or candidate.
Abati said that if authorities decide that political posters should not be displayed on the bridge, the restriction should apply equally to everyone, including Tinubu.
His comments followed Umahi’s remarks that the President deserved to be recognised for what he described as the speed and quality of the rehabilitation work.
The First Niger Bridge was closed earlier this month after some of its structural components, including bolts, nuts and parts of its expansion-joint steelwork, were reportedly vandalised. The Federal Government initially planned to reopen the bridge on September 21, but the reopening was extended by a week because of persistent rainfall affecting the rehabilitation work.
Umahi has said the bridge will be reopened once the remaining critical repairs are completed. The rehabilitation includes replacement of damaged components, repairs to the carriageway and walkways, installation of CCTV cameras and additional lighting infrastructure.
The disagreement over the proposed display of Tinubu’s photographs has added a political dimension to discussions surrounding the rehabilitation of the major transport link between the South-East and South-South regions.
