NIWA seeks funding for boat operators to boost waterways transportation.
NIWA seeks funding for boat operators to boost waterways transportation.
Segun Oladipupo
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has called on the federal government to make funds available for boat and barge operators to be able to acquire boats and barges to stimulate the sector
The replaced Acting Managing Director, NIWA, Surveyor Olawale Adetola made the call at the Maritime Session with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Isiaka Oyetola in Monday at the 29th Nigerian Economic Summit Group in Abuja.
“We need to empower people to acquire barges for the inland waterways to develop
“Let there be funds for them to buy vessels that will be used on the waterways and there should be a follow up to the receivers of such funds so that there will be checks that they pay back.
“People need to be given money to buy boats but like the minister said, it is an attitudinal thing because some people who collected money to buy boat some years back have not paid back up till today.”
Speaking further, Surveyor Adetola stated that for cargoes to be moved on the waterways, there is need for the government to dredge the channels
“There are lot of issues militating against moving cargoes is the channels and the siltation of River Niger and River Benue
“Like you said, we can move these cargoes by the inland waterways, all the course along the waterways from Lagos to Port Harcourt to somewhere Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro
“Dredging is a very important thing that needs to be done for us to move barges over the waterways. We have to dredge from Warri to Baro.
“Baro and Lokoja have been completed, Onitsha has been concessioned but Baro has not been because the rail that will take the consignments out has not been done. The port was commissioned in 2019 but nobody is using it. “
