• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Reps call for timely completion of NLNG Bonny road

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The House of Representatives yesterday asked the Federal Government to expedite action on the construction of Bonny-Bodo road project.

The Lower Chamber via a resolution passed on Wednesday, 21st February, 2018 urged Federal Government to grant tax rebate to Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) to enable it take-over the portion of the Bonny–Bodo road project to ensure an uninterrupted project delivery.

In his lead debate, Randolph Brown (PDP-Rivers) observed that the project was initially conceived in 1973 by the regime of the Military Governor, Alfred Diete Spiff of old Rivers State and by 1974, the Rivers Government received the feasibility study and design of the road.”

The lawmaker who tasked Federal Government on the need to complete the project in view of the importance of the road, observed that the road would link Bonny town including the host community to the NLNG and several other highly economically beneficial multinational companies.

He said since Federal Government flagged off the Bonny-Bodo Road Project on 12 October, 2017, work had not commenced on the Bonny end of the project.

“Despite the long conclusion of enumeration, assessment of compensation on the Right of Way (ROW) and relocation of public utilities of the consultants to the federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, non-payment of compensation has stalled work on the Bonny end of the project, which had given hope to the people of Bonny.”

According to him, “the payment of compensation will be an effective way to foreclose all issues on the Right of Way (ROW) and the delay in this case could result to avoidable tension.

“The House is concerned that if the issue is not given urgent attention “there could be a breakdown of law and order as tension and suspicion has started rising owing to refusal to pay the compensation of the Right of Way and relocation of public utilities.

While ruling on the motion, Speaker Yakubu Dogara mandated the joint Committees on Works and Legislative Compliance to monitor the progress and report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative input.