River Niger Bridge

Former Minister of Transport, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (rtd), has called for the dredging of River Niger as a buffer for future re-occurrence of the threat of flood in the country.

Speaking while donating relief materials worth several millions of naira to flood victims in three communities in Bayelsa state, Porbeni said there was a strong need for the federal government to revisit the issue. He opined that if the River Niger had been dredged, the disastrous effect of the flood which has ravaged almost all the states of the federation would have been seriously mitigated.

The three communities that benefitted from his largesse include Aduku, Abari and Trofani. The communities are part of the areas ravaged by flood that has affected many states in the federation.

Presenting the relief materials, Porbeni said the gesture was a token of his contribution towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people. He said he was deeply touched by the plight of the people whose houses and means of livelihood have been completely destroyed by the flood. He however appealed to the federal government, corporate organisations and foreign donor agencies to come to the aid of Bayelsa State whose people are one of the worst hit in the country.