Moghalu said it is part of the Authority’s vision to ensure that the Nation’s inland waterways provide a truly safe and alternative mode of transportation
By Uzor Odigbo
Transport Minister, Mu’azu Sambo, on Friday, August 2, commissioned two patrol and passenger ferry boats to boost the operations of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) in Rivers State.
The minister, during a facility tour of Port Harcourt Area Office of NIWA, commissioned the two patrol boats, PB-Gusau and PB-Jalingo; as well as a 32-seater passenger ferry boat.
The Managing Director, NIWA, Dr. George Moghalu, stated that the minister’s wealth of experience and knowledge in the sector will further impact positively in the Authority and spur it to greater productivity.
Moghalu noted that the set of rivercraft is to enhance the operational efficiency of the Authority, and added that the vision of NIWA is to make Nigeria the leader in inland waterways transportation, development and management in Africa.
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He explained that there is need to ensure the development of infrastructural facilities for a national inland waterways network that will connect the creeks and the rivers with the economic centres, using the river ports as nodal points for intermodal exchange.
“As you may be aware, in less than a year ago, the Authority commissioned more than twenty patrol boats as well as a tugboat, houseboat and water ambulance for distribution to various Area Offices of the Authority.
“This is part of the Authority’s vision to ensure that the Nation’s inland waterways provide a truly safe, efficient, cost-effective and alternative mode of transportation of goods and persons, as well as become competitive and attractive.
“There is no gainsaying that the huge opportunities that abound in the Nation’s inland waterways can only be maximized if concerted efforts are geared towards the development of infrastructure and proper funding to make the waterways attractive and competitive to players, hence the need for a regulatory framework; aimed at actualizing this, which ultimately will take the cost of providing infrastructure on roads to water at relatively cheaper cost”.
The NIWA boss disclosed that the Authority has licensed several companies for the transportation of cargo across the waterways in Nigeria, especially, from Lagos and Onne Ports to the hinterlands and vice versa.
“To achieve more of these, the Authority is poised to continuously ensure the development of indigenous manpower as well as providing navigational aids, river training works, wreck surveys and removal, establishment of river gauges, construction of jetties, capital and maintenance dredging, establishment of search and rescue stations, rivercraft certification and training of boat drivers and crew, as well as continuous safety sensitization campaigns.
“As we speak, the sixth batch of training and certification of boat skippers by the Authority is ongoing in Lagos. Even expatriates are participating in this training and certification exercise by the Authority”, he added.
He thanked the ministry for its contribution to the growth of the Authority, towards ensuring that the nation reaps the best from the inland waterways transportation system.
Those present at the event are the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye; the Permanent Secretary (FMOT), Dr. Magdalene Ajani; and delegates of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC).
