NSE calls on govt to expedite dredging of River Niger

The Nigerian Society of Engineers(NSE) has called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the dredging of the River Niger to open the inland water ways for the transportation of goods and movement of people.The president of the NSE, Mr Oluuyiwa Ajibola, made the statement at a press briefing before the National Engineering Conference and annual general meeting that would be held at Tinapa, Cross River State.Ajibola said the dredging of the River Niger, which cost N36 billion, was supposed to take six to eight months, but that two years on, nothing seemed to be happening apart from promises that the project would soon be completed.He said the society was concerned about the state of transportation in the country and that what existed now did not portray a positive point in the direction of Nigeria's plan to be one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2020.The president of the NSE then stated that the present condition of roads in the country was totally unacceptable.He said the solution was not in throwing money at the problem, but establishing very strong institutional frameworks like the establishment of a 'National Road Fund' and the 'Federal Road Authority' to undertake the total management of roads across the country.He added that the problem of bad roads and lack of maintenance of over 30,000 roads would be a thing of the past if the government established the agencies for the purpose of design and construction of roads in the most professional manner.On the use of the railway transport system in the country, Ajibola advised that a workable rail system would help to decongest and increase the life span of roads. He advised the government to open the rail sector to investors and encourage them to build modern high speed railway system in the country.
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