Posted by Adams Oshiomhole, a senator for Nigeria’s Edo North Senatorial District, has requested an investigation into the use of previously approved monies for the dredging of the River Niger. His request came on Wednesday.
Oshiomhole is dissatisfied that the drainage problem has not been solved despite the fact that the previous administration allocated massive sums of money to improve waterway transportation and flood control.
On Wednesday, the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, granted him permission to pray aloud on a motion headed “Urgent Need to Intervene in the Flooding Issues in the Sagamu, Ijebu Areas of Ogun East Senatorial District.”
The lawmaker said that the higher legislative house should not continue authorizing monies that cannot be accounted for, even if the funds were not disbursed for the purpose they were established for, and instead suggested that the 10th Senate examine the previous government.
Speaker Oshiomhole introduced himself as follows: “Mr. President, I am Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and I am honored to serve the wonderful people of the Edo North Senatorial District. I’d like to remind this chamber that, years ago, substantial funding was set up for dredging the River Niger, but apparently nothing was done with it. We need to look at this.
If the legislature keeps appropriating money every year and wastes it, it’s not smart.
Meanwhile, the floods that have devastated the Edu and Patigi Areas in the Kwara North Senatorial District and other parts of the country were appealed for intervention in a sponsored motion by the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District.
Considering that the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has predicted that there will be an upsurge of rainfall in 2023 above that of last year, the legislator sounded the alarm that there would be an unmitigated tragedy if there was not rapid intervention.
His proposed resolution reads as follows: “Constitution an Ad-hoc Committee to coordinate with appropriate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to put in place erosion prevention and management procedures.
“Request that the appropriate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies release funding to enable the unclogging of canals and other waterways.
Urge the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to reconsider building Dasin Hausa Dam and other dams as needed to store water from the overflowing Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.