Niger Delta ministry rues N41bn ‘shortfall’ in allocation

Minister, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Mr Steve Oru, says the outstanding liabilities on the capital projects of his ministry at present, has hit the N41.7bn.

The minister said this on Thursday in Abuja when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria.

Oru said the liabilities were recorded due to the shortfall in funding.

He said with the provision of the “very low and unrealistic capital ceiling” of N6bn for 2015, about 90 per cent of the ministry’ s ongoing capital projects, meant that the projects were not funded..

He stressed the need for adequate funding of the ministry to ensure the completion of its ongoing projects.

Oru said only adequate funding would prevent the halt of major projects like the East-West road.

The minister also said there was the need to ensure that the ministry’s programme engaging youths and women of the region in training did not derail.

”The programme of engagement of uouths and women of the region, who have been trained or are being trained and have high expectations that the ministry will empower them, will be derailed,” he said.

The minister added that the housing projects and skills acquisition centres at various stages of completion would have to be halted, if there’s no funding for them.

According to him, all environmental protection projects will have to be suspended, pending when funds will be allocated for them.

NAN recalls that the East-West road has attained 90 per cent completion.

The ministry, since its inception, has also empowered 1,063 non-militant youths in the region in various skills.