Dredging of River Niger Threatened As ‘Basin Authority Claims Ignorance of Project

(With Agency Report)  
Even as on-going efforts at dredging the River Niger reaches an advanced  stage, regional body of countries bordering the strategic river; the Niger Basin Authority has said that it has not received formal notification from the Federal Government on the ongoing dredging of the lower River Niger.
The Executive Secretary of the Authority, Mr. Oyewole Ogunmola, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja last week.
He said the resources of the river did not belong to Nigeria alone, adding that by virtue of the shared vision agreement signed by member states in 2006, the river’s resources belonged to all member countries of the NBA.
The executive secretary said, “By the shared vision agreement of 2006 and by the water charter that is going to be inaugurated soon, any activity taking place on the River Niger has to be made known to the NBA.
“Unfortunately, the dredging project by Nigeria on the river has not been formally communicated to us.”
He said he had visited the Nigeria Inland Waterways twice to remind the agency of the need to inform the NBA.
“If they notify the NBA on what they are doing and how they are doing it, NBA will record and participate in the project and relate it to other countries,’’ he said.
Ogunmola said relevant information on the project had not been released by Nigeria to other member countries of the NBA, adding, “The development is not too good for us.’’
According to him, the NBA water charter, to be inaugurated next week in Abuja during the summit of the authority, is a legal document that will regulate the implementation of the shared vision of the NBA.
He added, “in 2004, member countries decided to implement the Niger Basin shared vision whereby they all agreed that the River Niger should be taken as one river.