The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) said federal government is expanding the waterways to make it navigable and develop Nigeria’s economy.
This is even as NIWA office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said it has generated the sum of N416,555,211.19 from January, 2024, to date.
NIWA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Minuirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, disclosed the steps federal government has taken to make the waterways safe and navigable
during his maiden visit to the Port Harcourt Office, yesterday.
He said: “We want to have a National Inland Waterways that is safe, navigable. That is why I am in Port Harcourt, to see how we can improve the safety on our waterways and make these waters navigable.”
Oyebamiji commended President Bola Tinubu for doing wonderful works to promoting the waterways, adding that his (NIWA Boss) role, is to key in into the vision of the president and minister to achieve the best in water transportation.
He said funds should be invested in the waterways for dredging and removal of wrecks which obstruct free flow of boats and vessels.
The NIWA MD/CEO stated: “It is important for us to invest much in our waterways, so that we dredge; and when we dredge, we remove debris from the water and make it navigable.”
He disclosed that less than 3,000 kilometres of the Nigeria’s waters are navigable, disclosing that federal government is concerned about making states with water navigable for economic growth.
He said: “We have about 26 States that have water we can make navigable. These are places we are looking at. If we can achieve 80, 90 percent of it, we have made our waterways safe.
According to him, “When our waterways are safe, it will enhance our economy, and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our economy. The transportation plays a very key role in developing this our economy.”
He added that NIWA has started removing water hyacinth from the waterways, especially in Bayelsa and Rivers States, which formed part of his visit to Port Harcourt, to ascertain things federal government needs to do to remove obstruction from the waterways.
The MD/CEO explained: “When you are talking of navigability, you are talking of removing everything that can obstruct the flow of the boats, the vessels and the ferries. And as much as we want to develop this water, these are the first things to attend to; and we have started attending to them.
“The Federal Government is very serious about expanding our waterways to accommodate economic products. And the effect of it is to add value to our economy.”
He assured, “Again, we assure Nigerians safety water; we must make our inland waterways safe. We must make sure that it is free of encumbrance, we must remove the wreck and whatever that will promote the water business to add value to our economy.”
Earlier in his address, the Port Harcourt Area Manager, Bernard Ekawu, while highlighting the achievements of NIWA in Port Harcourt, disclosed that apart from the N416,555,211.19 generated this year, the Port Harcourt office has more prospects for improved revenue that would make it meet revenue target for 2024.
On some of the challenges of Port Harcourt Area office, Ekawu, appealed to the MD/CEO to take necessary steps to address the use of security personnel to evade payment to NIWA by river crafts owners, to avoid conflict between the military, particularly the Nigerian Navy and NIWA Police.
He noted the menace of sea pirates within the inland waterways, which has hampered water monitoring operations and revenue generation, appealing for the use of a patrol boat – PB Jalingo – in view of the malfunctioning of the present ones.
