Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida has said a report by CBS news made him vøw to complete the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
He said in an interview with a CBS official recently that the station’s report claiming that Nigeria was a nation wasting its resources ãngered him and propelled his administration to complete the project.
He said:
“National pride was what pushed us to do the Third Mainland Bridge.
“You had a programme, I think on one of the television stations, ‘Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches’ or something like that. I saw that programme before the takeover. There was a programme called 60 Minutes on CBS News.
“I saw it and I was mad after watching the television programme. There was a Nigerian on the programme, I think Onyeka Onwenu.
“She was on that programme and I think the compere was an American. He’s dead now, I think. He went on the bridge when it was not completed.
“He gave it as an example of how African countries conceive programmes, elephant projects. He said, ‘Look at this bridge. It stopped here. Who knows, maybe it will end up in oblivion.’
“The whole world is going to see Nigeria with that impression.
“When God brought us into office, the first decision we made was that we are going to prove that American broadcaster wrong.
“I talked to my colleagues. Some were not concerned about it. I said, no, this is on our country. It’s about national pride.
“Let’s put it to them that we can do it. That’s the first inspiration, that we have to do that. After that, all we need to do is to ask people, how are we going to do it?
“We sat down, we set a small committee. We sat down together. By then, my late colleague, Bolaji Anthony, his company, Julius Berger, Lagos State Government, and so on.
“We put them together and said, ‘I want a solution to this.’ They came out with a blueprint that, yes, this is doable, but this is the way to do it.
“I said, well, you guys have to do it. I will provide the support. I will provide the money for the job. And they did, quite easily.
“When we initially put it on, it happened to be in August, on my birthday. I said, ‘Give me a birthday present. I will come back to commission this bridge on my next birthday.’
“And behold, thank be to God, they met our obligations. We met their obligations. So we have a Third Mainland Bridge.
“Not as much as it is now.
“But people talked to me about the impact it was going to make, especially the construction engineers and so on and so forth.”
ℹ️ Ethnic African Stories
Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida has said a report by CBS news made him vøw to complete the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
He said in an interview with a CBS official recently that the station’s report claiming that Nigeria was a nation wasting its resources angered him and propelled his administration to complete the project.
He said:
“National pride was what pushed us to do the Third Mainland Bridge.
“You had a programme, I think on one of the television stations, ‘Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches’ or something like that. I saw that programme before the takeover. There was a programme called 60 Minutes on CBS News.
“I saw it and I was mad after watching the television programme. There was a Nigerian on the programme, I think Onyeka Onwenu.
“She was on that programme and I think the compere was an American. He’s dæd now, I think. He went on the bridge when it was not completed.
“He gave it as an example of how African countries conceive programmes, elephant projects. He said, ‘Look at this bridge. It stopped here. Who knows, maybe it will end up in oblivion.’
“The whole world is going to see Nigeria with that impression.
“When God brought us into office, the first decision we made was that we are going to prove that American broadcaster wrong.
“I talked to my colleagues. Some were not concerned about it. I said, no, this is on our country. It’s about national pride.
“Let’s put it to them that we can do it. That’s the first inspiration, that we have to do that. After that, all we need to do is to ask people, how are we going to do it?
“We sat down, we set a small committee. We sat down together. By then, my late colleague, Bolaji Anthony, his company, Julius Berger, Lagos State Government, and so on.
“We put them together and said, ‘I want a solution to this.’ They came out with a blueprint that, yes, this is doable, but this is the way to do it.
“I said, well, you guys have to do it. I will provide the support. I will provide the money for the job. And they did, quite easily.
“When we initially put it on, it happened to be in August, on my birthday. I said, ‘Give me a birthday present. I will come back to commission this bridge on my next birthday.’
“And behold, thank be to God, they met our obligations. We met their obligations. So we have a Third Mainland Bridge.
“Not as much as it is now.
“But people talked to me about the impact it was going to make, especially the construction engineers and so on and so forth.”
ℹ️ Ethnic African Stories
