One year after the collapse of the Namnai Bridge on the Jalingo-Wukari highway in Taraba State, the Federal Government is under growing criticism for its alleged failure to address the situation.
The bridge, situated on a federal Trunk A road that connects Benue, Taraba, and Adamawa states, remains unrepaired. As a result, thousands of commuters, traders, and students have been forced to use unsafe makeshift ferry crossings.
Despite the bridge’s strategic importance in linking the North Central, North East, and North West regions, no visible efforts at repair or reconstruction have been undertaken since the collapse.
Raising the alarm in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, in Jalingo, a university don, Professor John Ajai, recounted a harrowing experience while attempting to navigate the damaged route last week.
“The boat’s propeller got stuck in the sand. We couldn’t berth. Passengers had to be evacuated under tense and unsafe conditions. The buses on board remained stranded for more than thirty minutes. It was divine mercy that prevented tragedy that day,” the varsity don recounted.
He described the situation as not merely inconvenient but a daily threat to human lives and a serious disruption to economic and social activities in the region.
The professor condemned the Federal Government’s silence and what he termed a “failure of national duty.” He noted that neither the Ministry of Works and Housing nor the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, had taken any visible steps to address the situation no contractors have been mobilized, no official timelines issued.
He also called on federal lawmakers from Taraba to break their silence and push for urgent federal intervention.
“You may not be directly responsible for executing federal works,” he said, “but your voices matter. Your silence also speaks volumes.”
Ajai wondered whether such neglect would have occurred if the bridge were located in Abuja or Lagos, urging the Federal Government to treat the situation with the urgency it demands.
