Abuja — Barely two months after President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua flagged off the dredging of the River Niger, a major contract scam has hit the multi-billion naira project as some contractors have petitioned the House of Representatives over alleged installation of substandard navigational aids on the river.

According to the petition addressed to the Speaker of the House and referred to the House Committee on Marine Transport, Van Oord , one of the leading contractors handling the project have allegedly procured substandard safety buoys for installation along the river channel, a development, experts say, could impede navigation and expose vessels and their passengers to danger.

At an investigative hearing organised by the House Committee on Marine Transport on the issue, the petitioners, Messrs Anatrade Limited, claimed that instead of installing the Standard Buoy 104, internationally acclaimed as a navigational aid designed for fast waters like the River Niger, the contractor procured the cheaper IFWB 760 model, which is usually installed in harbours, lakes and stagnant waters.

In his evidence, Chief Executive Officer of Anatrade Limited, Mr Chukwuemeka Obianozie, explained that there was a wide disparity in the features and prices of both navigational aids, adding that while the SB 104 is 1818 millimetres for the can top, the IFWB 760 is 1300 millimetres. "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 plain 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.

"All round shaped buoys are used to mark harbours and lakes where the water is more stable and calm with less current not up to 4, 5, 6 knots and above.

"The SB 104 has a diameter of 873mm while the ITO alternative has diameter of 760mm, a clear 113mm. the SB 104 diameter has a purpose of containing adequate cross-link to achieve a safe-working load 1000ibs at a ratio of 4:1. This is outright negation of international standard practices," he said.

But both the Project Manager of Van Oord Nigeria Limited, Mr Tim Helbo and General Manager, Engineering of National Inland Waterways

Authority (NIWA), Engineer Mike Dike, disagreed with the position of the petitioners and insisted that alternative navigational aids procured for installation on the river would serve the same purpose as the SB 104.

Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport, Honourable Cyril Maduabum, said the Committee was prepared to ascertain the veracity of the allegations. According to Maduabum, the dredging of the lower Niger was cardinal to opening up of inland waterways across the country and the House of Representatives will ensure that all budgetary provisions made on the project was effectively utilised to achieve the desired goals and vision of the Federal Government.