FG denies seeking  €54 million loan to dredge Rivers Niger, Benue

THE Federal Government  has denied reports that it is proposing a €54million loan deal with the Hungarian government for the dredging of the Rivers Niger and Benue.

Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Margaret Umoh, while reacting to the development, said the reports lacked fact to back up the claims which she said had resulted in agitations from Nigerians in Hungary.

She noted that the project for the Niger River training being referred to was an unsolicited proposal from the Embassy of Hungary in association with Hungarian Water Engineering Team Ltd.

Umoh, further explained that “Dredging” and “River Training” were two different endeavours in River Engineering, saying while dredging was removing and handling deposited sediments from river bed, River Training on the other hand involves remodeling, reshaping or redirecting the pattern and path of flow of a river to attain desired socio-economic benefits.

“River Training is, therefore, a superior engineering endeavour that, apart from controlling flood and improving navigability, also significantly reduces the frequency of dredging and enables opportunities for a wider river based economy. The proposed Niger River Training is, therefore, not a duplication of contract for the dredging of the river,” it added.

The ministry stated that the Niger River Training solution would reduce flooding along the banks of the river as well as sediment transportation, facilitate navigation and minimise or even eliminate the need for dredging the river channel in the long run.

The Niger River Training would also engender prosperity occurring from fresh water supplies, flood control, irrigation scheme, agricultural and food industries and other economic opportunities.

“This proposed river training study is in alignment with the ministry’s vision of sustainable and Integrated Water Resources Management for the country. It therefore makes every sense to begin to plan for the future  today, for the overall benefit of future generation of Nigerians.

“With the foregoing, we hope that Nigerians in the country and in the diaspora will be assuaged and assured that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has zero tolerance for wastage and that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources under the leadership of Mr Suleiman  Adamu, as minister will do everything within its mandate to improve the living conditions of Nigerians through actualising the Water Sector Road Map,” she said.