House Committee on National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has charged the Authority to ensure that Waterways potentials are harnessed effectively for the benefit of all Nigerians.
NIWA house committee chairman, Ojema Ojotu, gave the charge on Wednesday, when he led other seven committee members to the authority’s Headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, North Central Nigeria, on oversight function.
Ojotu explained that the inland waterways are an integral part of Nigeria’s transportation framework, offering immense potential for enhancing connectivity, reducing road congestion, and stimulating economic growth.
He said, as representatives of the people, the responsibility behooves on them to ensure that NIWA harness the potentials in the inland waterways for economic growth of the country.
According to him, the visit provided them with the platform to scrutinize critical areas such as operational efficiency, safety on the waterways, infrastructure development, and the overall management of resources allocated to NIWA.
“We recognize the unique challenges associated with managing waterways, including the recurring issues of boat mishaps, flooding in vulnerable regions along the waterways, and the demand for modernized infrastructure such as inland ports and navigable channels.
“As we deliberate today, it is imperative to consider how these challenges can be addressed to enhance safety, efficiency, and economic viability. .
“The strategic importance of inland ports cannot be overstated, especially in fostering internal and regional trade and serving as vital links in our national logistics chain.
“Similarly, the dredging of waterways remains key to unlocking the full potential of our inland transportation system, ensuring seamless connectivity and uninterrupted operations.
“Therefore, there is need for human capacity development and procurement of essential operational equipment, such as boats, to enhance safety enforcement, rapid emergency responses and deliver efficient services,” he said.
According to him, while government funding remains critical, it is evident that traditional financing models may not suffice to meet the infrastructure and capacity building demands of NIWA’s mandate.
He stressed that it was imperative to the authority to think outside the box and explore alternative financing options, including public-private partnerships, concessional arrangements, and innovative funding mechanisms.
“These approaches can bridge funding gaps and drive impactful infrastructural development, ” he said.
Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA ), Bola Oyebanji, has attributed the numerous boat mishaps in to country to human errors, drugs and blatant Flouting of rules and regulations by drivers.
Oyebanji, who was responding to questions fielded by House Committee Members on NIWA, said that in spite of mishaps the authority was committed to the safety of all travelers using water transportation.
“It’s just unfortunate that human errors, drugs and disobedience to rules and regulations contributed 99 percent of the mishaps on the Waterways.
“Research has shown that the operators are committing avoidable mistakes which could not have cause havoc.
“Just imagine a wooden boat carrying between 150 and 200 passengers instead of limited number.”
He said that the transportation Code requires revalidation because the operators have not been strictly followed the code signed recently, while some are not providing required life jackets for their passengers
The NIWA boss lamented that the Regulation Code only provided N30,000 as penalty for the offenders.
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