N54bn needed to dredge rivers Niger, Benue

Johnson Babajide, Lokoja - 28.11.2007

ABOUT N54 billion is needed by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to execute capital projects, including the dredging of Rivers Niger and Benue.

The Managing Director of the authority , Alhaji Zubairu Yakubu, announced this while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport at the NIWA headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Yakubu said that the amount would also cater for other 15 projects across all the coastal areas in the country.

He said the projects included; the proposed dredging of the lower River Niger from Warri in Delta State to Baro in Niger State, valued at N36 billion; construction of inland ports at Oguta Lake, Degema, Lokoja and the river ports at Idah, Baro and Okirika all totaling N12 billion.

Other projects, according to him, included the rehabilitation of Onitsha River Port valued at over N2 billion, construction of jetties and terminal facilities at Oerrinta and Ndoni and development of Ondo waterways.

The managing director stated that the construction of the Inland River Port in Lokoja and the jetty and terminal facilities in Yenagoa were in progress while the rest were yet to take off due to lack of funds.

He appealed to the committee to assist in facilitating the release of funds appropriated to the authority in the budget. The chairman of the committee, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, said the team was on a visit to the authority to know its problems and ways to assist it for the growth of the nation.