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President urges EFCC to recover N1.5b from River Niger dredging contractors
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intervene and recover about N1.5 billion paid to former contractors handling the River Niger dredging project. He also asked the Ministry of Transport to immediately initiate fresh process for the implementation of the dredging of the River Niger.
The President told a delegation led by the Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, with the management of the Federal Inland Waterways Authority who were at State House Abuja to brief him on plans to improve water transportation in the country that fresh implementation of the dredging project should avoid the mistakes of the past.
He warned that under the new implementation of the dredging of the River Niger, the new contract should be faithfully executed without any room for variation.
In giving the directive to the EFCC, President Obasanjo asked the management of the waterways to liaise with the leadership of the Crimes Commission to work out details of the enforcement of the order.
Sekibo and his team had informed the President that if the waterways from Warri to Baro on the River Niger were sailable, at least 20 per cent of transportation in Nigeria could be done through inland waterways.
The minister had also told the President that about N28 billion would be required for the main dredging works on the River Niger.
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