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Buhari committed to completion of Lokoja inland port, orders review of contract terms- NIWA MD

By Ibrahim Obansa, Lokoja
03 June 2020   |   3:08 pm
The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways, (NIWA) in Lokoja Kogi state, Dr. George Muoghalu has restated the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to the completion of the Lokoja inland Port.

George Moghalu

The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways, (NIWA) in Lokoja Kogi state, Dr. George Muoghalu has restated the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to the completion of the Lokoja inland Port.

The MD who gave this hint in Lokoja while Fielding questions from journalists on Wednesday, who were on visit to the agency, noted that it is the desire of government to ensure that the Nigeria waterways is Navigable all year round.

He maintained that if the waterways are put to effective use, it will help to reduce pressure on the roads and save the country huge resources being invested in the maintenance of the roads every year.

While expressing concern over the slow pace of work on the Jamata River port in Lokoja, several years after the contract was signed, he said the federal executive council has ordered the review of the contract terms to fastracked the completion of the project.

Guardian gathered that the contract for the over Five billion naira lokoja River port which was awarded to Inter Bau Construction limited, along side that of the Baro port several years ago was abandoned by the contractor, even when the Baro port had long been completed.

He said the agency has concluded arrangements to procure additional dredgers to carry out maintenance dredging of the water channels for easy navigation.

Speaking on how to manage the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, Muoghalu called on government at all levels to gear up for post COVID-19 engagement towards ensuring that the economy is revive to guarantee efficiency.

“The federal and the state Governments has shown capacity in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. My worry is how to revamp the economy which has been greatly affected by the pandemic.

“The year 2020 appropriation has been adjusted to reflect current realities. My advice to government at all levels is to prepare for the post COVID-19 engagement. We must all join hands together to revive the economy for optimal performance.

In his contribution, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Kogi state council, Alhaji Momohjimoh Adeiza, called on the state government to invest in the waterways transportation, which according to him is cheaper in the conveyance of heavy goods, when compared to road transportation.

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