The Nigerian Senate has resolved to invite the Minister of Power, Works and Housing to brief its Committee on Works on the circumstances surrounding the Federal Government’s inability to partner with the NLNG management to complete the Bodo/Bonny road project or any other issue that had stood against the completion of the project.
This followed a Motion on the urgent need for the completion of the Bodo/Bonny roads linking the NLNG gas Complex, sponsored by Senator George Sekibo, representing Rivers East, and co-sponsored by Senator Magnus Abe from Rivers South East and Senator Osinachukwu Ideozu representing Rivers West at the Upper Chamber.
The Rivers federal Lawmakers in the Motion during plenary on Wednesday, stated that the Bodo/Bonny road project was first awarded by the Obasanjo’s administration at a contracted value of $20 billion but did not do much on the project after mobilising contractors to site as it was poorly funded and later abandoned till 2014 when the Jonathan’s administration re-awarded the contract after revalidation at the contract value of $120 billion without spending any amount out of the appropriated fund in 2015.
Senator Sekibo who led the debate on the Motion, noted that the present administration has proposed to spend a meagre N9 billion which, according to him, is not adequate to mobilise contractors to the site, lamenting that it is reminiscent of attitudes of past administration that eventually caused the abandonment of the project for long.
The lawmaker also said the NLNG management has even accepted to contribute 50 per cent of the contract value of $120 billion, regretting that the Federal Government, which has a major stake in Bonny has not taken the needed steps to actualise the commencement of the project even when 50 Per cent of the cost would be defrayed through partnerships with NLNG.
Senator Magnus Abe, while contributing to the Motion, maintained that the Federal Government has shown commitment to the commencement of the work, adding that the same commitment should be shown towards the insecurity currently pervading Rivers State.
On his part, Senator Osinachukwu Ideozu commended the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for his intervention which led to the commitment by NLNG to fund half of the total cost of the project.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki in his remarks on the motion called on all stakeholders involved in the project to expedite action towards ensuring that the work commences immediately.
The Senate also directed the committee on works to carry out an independent comprehensive evaluation of the Bodo/Bonny road project and brief the Senate within four weeks.
