Nigerians resident in Hungary have expressed concern over the N240 million loans the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is seeking from Budapest, saying it smacks of corruption and amounted to the duplication of project.
They have therefore asked the Hungarian authorities to reject the request in a letter signed by the President of Nigerian Association in Hungary, Mr Frederick Omoyoma Odorige (along with other members of the association’s executive) and addressed to the president, prime minister and the Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament respectively. The letter titled: ‘Our pain at the memorandum of understanding and the 54 million euro loan from the Nigerian Ministry of Water Resources” was also sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Olubukola Saraki, the minister of finance Kemi Adeosun and the Nigerian Charge d’Affairs in Hungary, Misitura Abdulraheem.
The money is expected to be used to study the drainage work at the River Niger and Benue in addition to checking sedimentation in Nigeria. Already, the association has planned to stage a protest on Thursday at the Hungarian parliament as part of efforts to persuade the government from granting the loan.
Describing the loan application as “a sad misnomer,” the association said “it is very shocking to us.” It noted that the “anticipated project is duplication and a misplaced priority,” stressing, “We have engineers at the Nigerian Ministry of Water Resources. They could internally carry out whatever study that must be done with demanding for loan externally.”
The association told the Hungarian government that contracts for the dredging of the River Niger and River Benue have been awarded and commenced. It explained that the dredging will stop flooding and provide deep water for economic activities.
“As part of the dredging process, a study will also be carried out. This ongoing project will overtake any other study that our Ministry of Water Resources is seeking loan for,” the letter said.
The association wondered why Nigeria should seek loan for “a study that will lead to a bigger project expected to stop flooding when a dredging project that will end the same flooding has already commenced.”
“Sir, as our country continues to fight corruption, we wish to inform you that contract for the dredging of the River Niger was awarded by former President of Nigeria for N47 billion (114,634,146 euro). Out of that amount, N34 billion (82,926,829 euro) was paid to contractors and the job was abandoned,” the association said in the letter.