The National Assembly has queried the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola over lack of budgetary provisions for the dredging of River Niger and Benue, as well as Lake Chad Basin.
The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Marine Transport, Ports and Harbour, Marine Safety, Education and Administration: Inland Waterways and Committee on Shipping Services stated this on Tuesday in Abuja when the minister appeared before it to defend the 2025 budget of the ministry.
A member of the joint committee, Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun observed that the 2025 budget proposal by the ministry was inadequate to tackle challenges of the Ministry.
He noted that out of the 11 necessary points raised in the budget, NIWA was having a larger chunk of the budget.
Eshinlokun stated: “This budget didn’t not capture dredging of our major rivers and we suggest that your 2026 budget proposal should incorporate this as the N2 billion proposed for dredging of the major rivers is inadequate.”
Earlier, Oyetola said there was a need to increase the budgetary provision for the ministry, adding that the quantum investment through the capital budget was necessary for the ministry to deliver on its mandate.
He explained that the proposed total Capital Budget for the ministry is N11,770,533,003, while the overhead is N453,856,327.
The minister revealed that the total Capital Appropriation for the ministry in 2024 appropriation Act was N10,848,512,984, adding that the sum of N9,973,802,613 had been utilised/committed at the end of December, 2024, while the remaining balance of N874,710,371 would be expended in the 19 Quarter of 2025.