Onitsha bridge: How people travelled then versus now
The popular Niger bridge hasn't always been there to connect commuters from Asaba to Onitsha and vice versa.
Recommended articles
The signature 1400m long bridge that links the rest of the country to the South Eastern part is the Niger Bridge, popularly known as the Onitsha bridge. It was constructed between 1964 and 1965, and commissioned by the then Prime Minister late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and opened for traffic in December 1965. This commissioning of the bridge was the last public function of the Prime Minister before his assassination.
Onitsha in Anambra state has one of the biggest markets in the country and goods and people have to be transported. People travelled smoothly by road until they reach Asaba, Delta, which was separated from Onitsha by the might river Niger. Hence, The Niger Bridge is considered to be of Nigeria’s most economically crucial bridges.
After construction in 1965, the bridge was 8×420 ft. with a carriageway of 36 feet centre-truss and a pedestrian walkway on both sides of the carriageway. However, during the Nigerian civil war (1967 - 1970), retreating Biafran soldiers destroyed the Niger Bridge in order to halt and trap Nigerian military at the other side of the river.
ADVERTISEMENT
So, how were people travelling before the construction of the bridge?
People from the South-South and South-West had to commute via private ferries of different sizes to the South East and vice versa.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
Recommended articles
10 small habits that will earn you respect
10 creative ways to ask for money from your boyfriend if you're shy
Pulse Hot Takes: 4 reasons paternity fraud is popular in Nigeria
50 birthday prayers and wishes to make a loved one feel special
Ask Pulse: My man’s friends want us to break up because I sent nudes to another man
Buying red wallet and 9 other superstitious beliefs that can make you rich
The sexual benefits, health perks and side effects of Manuka honey
How to share and transfer data on Airtel
5 cool things invented by kids
Woman undergoes 43 plastic surgeries to look like a Barbie doll
This city will start collecting entry fees from tourists
6 things that happen when you drink something cold on an empty stomach
Pulse Sports
Lionel Messi's son breaks the internet after scoring five goals for Inter Miami
Naija Stars Abroad: Onyedika, Boniface, and Osimhen shine across Europe
Victor Osimhen and Tobi Amusan make list of Forbes’ 30 under 30 Class of 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
![Garden eggs [my Africa Caribbean]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'300'%20height%3D'172'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Garden eggs [my Africa Caribbean]")