President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed the sum of N6.6 billion for the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, to develop water transportation in the country in the 2021 Appropriation Bill.
George Moghalu, the managing director of NIWA, who disclosed this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Marine Transportation in Abuja on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, said the move was to curb traffic congestion on the nation’s highways.
He also urged the upper chamber to initiate necessary legislations to help the agency develop and enhance inland waterways in the country.
Moghalu said: “In line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, of President Muhammadu Buhari, the authority reiterates its determination, now more than ever, to upscale the development of Inland Water Transportation in Nigeria.
“I, therefore, seize this opportunity to appeal to the Senate to use your good offices to ensure and facilitate a conducive financial and legal environment that would provide the boost needed for NIWA to achieve its full potential.”
He told the panel that the N6.6 billion capital component of the agency’s 2021 budget is meant to complete all ongoing projects and enhance revenue generation.
Moghalu told the Senate that the agency could not achieve actual project implementation in 2020 as a result of the delay in capital releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: The Nation
