DELTA State Commissioner of Information Charles Aniagwu has said the introduction of in-land waterway transportation and dams would mitigate flooding problems, generate electricity and increase productivity in the country.
Aniagwu said this in an interview on Thursday.
He said the adoption of in-land waterways and the construction of dams would boost economic development by fostering commerce and facilitating the movement of goods, services and people in Nigeria.
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“The Federal Government should take steps to dam the river Niger and river Benue to prevent flooding and generate electricity”, he said.
“We noticed that many states have difficulty carrying out agricultural activities during the dry season but with dams that would have ended the lack of water and prevented the magnitude of the flood that would cause trouble to Nigerians.”
Speaking on the recent floods in the country, the commissioner noted that the vulnerable members of the society, especially poor farmers, were at the receiving end of the disaster.
“The amount of money the Federal Government spend is enough to go a long way in preventing this annual flood, individuals have lost a lot of valuables much more than the government has spent.
“When the flood commenced farmers were faced with no other choice than to harvest their crops because they couldn’t wait to lose all but at the end of the day they had to harvest cassava that are not mature, you are not going to get value for the money.
“Imagine if we had prevented this how many billions we would be saving,” he said.
Stories with punches holding the powerful accountable. His determination to speak out against corruption and influence the conversation in Nigeria, the surrounding region and the continent inspires him.