The Bakassi Local Government Council in southeastern Nigeria says it needs 10 billion naira (US $95.2 million) to protect communities living near the peninsula’s shoreline in the Niger Delta, ‘The Guardian’ newspaper of Lagos reported on Wednesday.
It quoted the chairman of the council, Emmanuel Etene, as saying the federal government would have to have to pay for the sea defences because the task was beyond the financial capacity of any local government. The central government, he added, had referred the problem to a technical committee. The council is also drawing up a comprehensive design of the entire area complete with a survey plan.
Bakassi, a riverine area thought to be rich in oil, is claimed by both Cameroon and Nigeria. The dispute is before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
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