EXCLUSIVE: ₦16.5Billion Taraba Bridge Reconstruction Funds Allegedly Diverted To Access Road; Tinubu’s Minister Faces Scrutiny
December 7, 2025
News
A major controversy is unfolding over the handling of the collapsed Namnai Bridge reconstruction project in Taraba State, following allegations that funds approved for the bridge were diverted to an entirely different project without proper authorisation.
According to documents obtained by SaharaReporters, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved ₦16.5 billion for the urgent reconstruction of the 10-span Namnai Bridge, which collapsed in August 2024. However, multiple sources allege that the approved funds were later redirected to the construction of a 43.5 km access road, a change that reportedly did not receive the required FEC approval.
Timeline of Events
After the bridge collapse, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, visited the site alongside the Managing Director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC). President Bola Tinubu had appointed Maigari as the Minister of State for Steel Development before redeploying him to Regional Development in 2024.
In July 2025, tragedy struck when a boat capsized near the collapsed section, killing two individuals—a six-month-pregnant woman, Aisha, and a toddler, Baby Abis—whose bodies remain missing. Another victim, Bara’atu, was later recovered. Although heavy-duty equipment was mobilised with promises that reconstruction would begin within a week, residents reported no meaningful progress.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, prepared an emergency reconstruction proposal, which FEC approved. On September 10, 2025, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) issued a no-objection certificate, and the bridge contract was formally awarded to a contractor.
Sudden Contract Diversion
Just before mobilisation could begin, a second award letter—dated October 28, 2025—surfaced. It assigned the same contractor a new project: the emergency reconstruction of a 43.5 km access road immediately after the collapsed bridge, also valued at ₦16.5 billion.
This unexpected development effectively moved the contractor away from the bridge reconstruction, raising questions about legality and transparency.
A September 10 document signed by Dauda Ismaila Belel, the Director of Public Procurement, clearly approved ₦16.5 billion for the bridge reconstruction. Yet another letter dated October 28, also signed by Belel, reassigned the same amount to the access road—without mention of FEC approval for this change.
“No approval in Nigeria is higher than FEC. Who authorised this sudden shift? If FEC approved it, when?” one source queried.
Another insider alleged that Minister Maigari wrote to the Minister of Works claiming that the NEDC had already awarded the bridge project, prompting the switch to an access road contract—an action the source insists is illegal without FEC’s explicit approval.
Local reports say that machinery previously deployed by the NEDC has since disappeared from the site, leaving only a bulldozer and a few boulders behind.
Minister Denies Allegations, Opts for Legal Action
In a statement, Jamila M. Indabawa, Senior Special Assistant on Media to Minister Maigari, dismissed the allegations as “fabricated” claims being circulated online by one Abdulmumin Imam, a social media activist. She stated that Maigari has held multiple meetings with the Minister of Works to ensure the project remains a priority.
Rather than respond openly to what she described as a “cheap social media brawl,” the Minister, she said, has instructed his lawyers to pursue legal redress.
Court Order Controversy Deepens
SaharaReporters had earlier revealed that Minister Maigari allegedly procured a court order to arrest activist Abdulmumuni Imam, despite publicly denying involvement in any such move.
A source said the Minister’s team first secured an arrest warrant from an Upper Area Court. But after the development leaked to the media, the order was hastily withdrawn, only for the legal team to reportedly approach the Federal High Court in Jalingo, where another arrest warrant was issued.
Imam has not been served, according to sources, and has not evaded any invitation.
The Minister previously released a statement denying any effort to arrest Imam, saying he welcomed public scrutiny and would never use security agencies to silence critics.
However, the Minister’s counsel, Ibrahim Effiong, confirmed to journalists that the Federal High Court did issue an arrest warrant, accusing Imam of defaming the Minister and misleading the public about the alleged diversion of ₦16.5 billion meant for the Namnai Bridge.