Bridge over Niger: Do something, Patigi people urge government

WALE SULEIMAN

The people of Patigi want the Federal Government to construct a bridge over the River Niger in their community to improve trade and boost the tourism potentials of Kwara state.

Patigi is a driving distance of nearly two hours from Ilorin, the state capital. But Patigi to Bida, one of the biggest towns in Nigr State, is a distance of less than an hour if you take a ferry across the River Niger and drive to Bida from the jetty.     

This is probably why the people of Patigi and the surrounding areas are calling on the Federal Government to help construct a bridge over the River Niger in their town. For now, the people rely on two big ferries to take them across the river before continuing their journey to Bida and other destinations. The ferries take passengers, motorcycles and vehicles.

Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Dadi, a community leader in Patigi told this medium that people travelling from the town to the Northern parts of the country usually take the ferry across the river and board vehicles to Bida from the jetty. He disclosed that many travelers from other parts of the state going to the North or Abuja usually pass through Patigi where they put their vehicles on the ferry to cross on the River Niger before continuing their journey.

The traffic of passengers using the ferry to cross the river with their vehicles also include the high and the mighty. They include royal fathers and first class emirs from the North. The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Sulu Gambari, the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi and Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, have all at one time or the other, used the ferries to cross the River Niger, especially when they are going for functions in Kwara or Niger State.

Kudu further disclosed that community leaders in Patigi have long been calling on the government to improve transportation to and from Patigi. He described Patigi as a centre of commerce where people from other communities, especially from Niger, Ondo and Kogi states, usually come to trade. He said traders and consumers usually come to buy food items such as melon, beans, rice and fish from the town. Patigi is also a major cattle market that attracts buyers from many part of the country.

Apart from facilitating travel, a bridge across the river would considerably improve trade traffic between Kwara and other states on the Northern axis. It would no doubt be a big boost to the interstate trade which had long existed between Kwara and Niger. Niger State has long been a trade partner of Patigi. Many communities in Niger State depend on Patigi for their supply nof beans, melons and rice. Neighbouring communities like Shonga, Lafiaji, Tsaragi and Share also stand to benefit from bridging the River Niger.

But perhaps more importantly, as the recently held Regatta has shown, bridging the River Niger in Patigi could turn the town into a major tourist destination in the state. Patigi is a town with tourism potentials that are still largely untapped. Not many Nigerians know that Patigi is a confluence town like Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State. The point where the River Kaduna runs into the River Niger is in Patigi! This is certainly a fact that would interest many Nigerians. The point of meeting of the two rivers is clearly identifiable by colour.

Also, the annual regatta which has now been revived by the royal house in Patigi could become a national festival that would be watched by Nigerians from different parts of the country. The regatta is a colouful traditional event that takes place in the river. Different competitive games involving the youth of the community are held in the nearby River Niger, while spectators gather along the shores of the river. Many prominent Nigerians including late Nnamdi Azikwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Sardauna of Sokoto, have all been spectators at the regatta.

A bridge across the river would certainly facilitate access to the community from Northern parts of the country. Such improved access could translate into good tourism revenue for the state. Many are also of the opinion that it would lead to a more rapid economic transformation in the state.

The bridge would also encourage the Kwara State government to hasten the construction of a link road from Patigi to Lokoja, which is now just a little better than a bush path. Residents of the community disclosed that the distance from Patigi to Lokoja would not be more than an hour if the road were motorable. The road, if constructed, could divert vehicle traffic from Ilorin, Ogbomoso and Ibadan to Patigi since it would shorten the mileage.

This Midlandpost was reliably informed that the governments of Kwara and Niger states had once collaborated on how to ensure that the Federal Government takes the construction of a bridge over the River Niger in Patigi as a priority project but got stalled at a point. Perhaps luck would smile on the community soon.