Mr Aminu Yar’Adua, Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), says the dredging of the River Benue will commence soon.
Yar’Adua disclosed this in Lokoja on Wednesday while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime.
He told the committee members, who were on an assessment tour of the authority, that the funds for the dredging had been provided for in this year’s budget.
The managing director said that the authority had completed the dredging of 572 kilometres of the lower Niger River, from Baro in Niger to Warri in Delta.
Yar’Adua explained that the dredging of the River Benue was necessary to enhance inland waterways transportation.
“If we are talking of inland transportation and business activity through it, whatever was done to river Niger should be done to Benue, ” he said.
On the authority’s revenue target, Yardua said it generated N801 million as against the N1.5 billion set for it, and attributed the low revenue performance to “ unfavorable bank interest charges” .
Yar’Adua called for an increase in the funding of the authority, recruitment of more staff and a revision of its enabling law, to enhance its activities.
Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, pledged the support of the National Assembly to strengthen inland waterways transportation to de-congest the highways.
The chairman used the visit to inaugurate two machines procured by the authority for clearing of water hyacinth and weeds on the waterways.
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Dredging Today Staff, December 15, 2011;