Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, yesterday, requested for N38.7 billion special funding for critical projects in the Niger Delta in the 2020 fiscal year.
Akpabio made the request when he appeared before the House of Representatives, Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.
He said due to the capital intensive nature of some of its projects and dwindling budgetary allocations to the Niger Delta ministry, some of its major projects were funded from outside the ministry.
Akpabio, who explained that Sections I-IV of the East West Road were moved to the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Fund (NSIA), requested that since the design for Section V of the road was ready, it should equally be funded from the NSIA.
He noted that the deplorable state of roads and bridges in the Niger Delta are already affecting economic activity in the area, stating that “the critical state of these roads and bridges has necessitated the quick intervention of the federal government to alleviate the sufferings of the affected communities and users of these roads and bridges.
“The ministry is requesting that…mega projects in the sum of N38,774,299, 953.22, which are critical to the development of the region in line with ERGP, should be considered for funding outside the Ministry’s capital budgetary allocation…” he stated.
Akpabio, while decrying dwindling budgetary allocations to the Niger Delta Ministry, stated that in the 2019 fiscal year, a total sum of N35.2billion was allocated to the minister, whereas in the 2020 budget proposals, it got only N23 billion.
Besides, the Minister lamented that so far, the Niger Delta Ministry, was yet to get any release for its capital projects in the 2019 budget.
According to him, “ Let me say, sir, that as at today, I don’t know what has happened.