Nkpa Bridge: Reps call on contractors as Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu urges calm
On Thursday, September 26, the Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives reached out to the Ecological Office about some problems found with the newly built Nkpa Bridge in Bende Federal Constituency, Abia State.
Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who represents the area, played a key role in bringing attention to the project after highlighting the poor condition of local infrastructure.
However, after heavy rain, a section of the bridge, which hasn’t even been officially opened yet, collapsed, as shown in a viral video.
The Deputy Speaker’s Office is very concerned about this situation and has decided to take action. The Ecological Office will meet with the bridge’s consultant, MX Consulting Engineering Services, and the contractor, Nespresso Services Limited, to discuss the issue with the Ecological Funds Committee of the House.
The Committee aims to investigate what happened and may visit the site to see how serious the damage is and to figure out how to fix it.
It’s important to clarify that the Deputy Speaker’s Office did not choose the contractors. Members of parliament can attract projects but do not have the power to select contractors; that responsibility belongs to the relevant federal agency. This is true for the Nkpa Bridge project as well.
The Deputy Speaker has also decided not to officially open the bridge until it is confirmed to be safe.
The Office of the Deputy Speaker encourages everyone in Nkpa, Bende, and all users of the bridge and Nkpa Road to stay calm as they work on finding a solution to this problem.
