The House of Representatives Committee on Marine Transport has begun a probe into the alleged installation of substandard navigational aids at the River Niger by one of the leading contractors handling its dredging.
Van Oord Nigeria Limited, a foreign concern, allegedly procured substandard safety buoys for the project.
Inappropriate product
The Chief Executive Officer of Anatrade Limited, an indigenous marine business operator, Chukwuemeka Obianozie, speaking before the committee, alleged that Van Oord procured, for installation, the cheaper IFWB 760 model usually used for harbours, lakes and stagnant waters instead of the installation of Standard Bouy 104, the internationally acclaimed safety navigational aid designed for water bodies like the River Niger.
Mr. Obianozie, who was represented by Greg Okpara, an area manager at the firm, explained that the SB 104 is significantly different from the IFWB 760.
"The overall length of the Tideland SB 104 is 1818mm for the top and 204mm for the con top, while the IFWB 760 is 1300mm, a staggering difference of 518mm. This is gross breach of visibility and navigation to River Niger crafts especially in a river like Niger with its undulating bed. What this difference translates to is that the focal plan of the buoy as conceived by the consultants has been badly altered.
"The SB 104 shape is complex with the round side facing the direction of the river current, while IFWB 760 is rounded all through. This again shows that the designer does not make fast water buoy as this shape is International Association of Lighthouse Authority, IALA.
"The round side of the buoy is conceived to act as current receiver for rapid rolling or pitching movement occasioned by wave or wind while the flat side acts as the spreader that breaks the whirling current from turning the buoy.
"Had ITI been a standard bearer on buoys certainly IALA production processes would not have allowed such a grave error."
Mr. Obianozie insisted that there are no variations yet in the terms of contract and wondered why the contractor preferred the cheap navigational aids to the standard type suitable for the river.
"Assuming someone is contemplating changing the specification of the buoy, has the questions below been answered: namely, is the money for the procurement of the originally recommended buoy lacking in the project? Are the original specifications obsolete and production discontinued? Did the consultants who put the design and features of SB 104 make mistake or display gross incompetence and if the consultant are deficient, will they be made to pay back what they were paid?," he asked.
However, the contractor's Project Manager, Tim Helbo, insisted that the facilities were good for the job.
The General Manager, Engineering, of the Nigeria Inland Waterways, Mike Dike also said they would serve the same purpose as the SB 104.
The Director General of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Eze, observed that although there was no violation of any procurement laws, there is a need to ensure that the contractors procure approved materials for the execution of the job since there was no variation in the original quotation.
Mr. Eze added that if there was a need for an alteration, an application should have been sent to the Bureau for approval before any implementation
He praised the officials of Anatrade Limited for exposing the deficiency.
A member of the House committee, Cyril Maduabum, said it would ascertain the veracity of the allegation because the river is cardinal to the opening up of inland waterways across the country.
According to him, the lawmakers would ensure that any money spent on the project achieves desired result.
President Umaru Yar'Adua had, on September 10, 2009, officially flagged off the dredging of the river at the Niwa Dockyard in Lokoja, Kogi State, with a directive to the five contractors handling the project to complete it within five months.
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