By Yusuf Salihu Sansani, Jalingo
The collapsed bridge at Namnai on the major high way in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State has become a death trap for commuters.
The bridge which is on the Jalingo-Wukari high way collapsed about a year ago causing untold hardships to the people moving from the Northeast to both the Eastern and southern parts of Nigeria.
On midnight of Friday July 25th, 2025, a ferry carrying three vehicles and Passengers across the river near the collapsed bridge capsized with three people drowned into the water two women and a male child and so far the body of a woman and the male child were found while the people are still searching for the remains of the other woman.
Reports from residents near the bridge said overloading and the rush by motorists and Passengers into the ferries were the major cause of the accidents.
Also, recently two engine boards carrying Passengers collided causing fractures on the legs of the member representing Gassol two Constituency at the Taraba State House of Assembly Hon. Musa Chul and another passenger Epfraim Waziri.
Since the collapsed of the bridge individual ferry owners are having fieldays collecting from N5,000- N20,000 naira from each driver depending on the vehicle to ferry them accross the river near the bridge which takes them less than ten minutes in spite of the false promises by both the Federal and the Taraba State Government who initially pledged to reconstruct the bridge in no distance time but upto now non of them made any effort.
Taraba State Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas who visited the bridge shortly after it’s collapsed promised to spend N19 billion for the reconstruction of the bridge but no effort was made even to clear the debris a year after making this pronouncement.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari an indigene of Taraba State also visited the collapsed bridge and promised the commitments of the Federal Government towards the reconstruction of the bridge within a short time but unfortunately non of the two arms of Government made any effort to alleviate the the sufferings of the people.
Meanwhile, the site of the Namnai bridge has become a behive of activities day and night and sometimes motorists sleep the night at both sites of the collapsed bridge with their Passengers waiting to be crossed.
A resident of Namnai, Bashar Abubakar attributed the problem at the Namnai collapsed bridge to impatience by motorists who are always in haste and making the place chaotic.
Bashar Abubakar disclosed that there are about fifty ferries at the bridge which are operating turn by turn but the lack of order was the cause of all the problems and appeal to Gassol Local Government and Taraba State Government to do the needful and ensure Law and order and making ferrying of vehicles across the bridge orderly and called on the Government at all levels to consider the importance of the road by reconstructing the Namnai bridge as soon as possible.
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