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From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Federal Government through the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has acquired rivercrafts for effective patrol of the nation’s waterways and enhance operational efficiency of the authority.
The boats, which are PB-Gusau, PB-Jalingo and a 32-seater passenger ferry boat, had added to the fleet of patrol boats commissioned by federal government in less than a year for effective and steady coverage of the nation’s waterways.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NIWA George Moghalu, who spoke at the commissioning of the boats in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend, by the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, said opportunities abound in the nation’s inland waterways.
Moghalu continued that such opportunities could only be maximized if concerted effort are made towards the development of infrastructure and proper funding to make the waterways attractive and competitive to players in the maritime environment.
He disclosed: “In less than a year ago, the Authority commissioned more than 20 patrol boats as well 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.”
According to him, the authority was poised to make Nigeria the leader of inland waterways transportation, development and management in Africa. Hence, the need to ensure the development of infrastructure.
Moghalu declared: “To achieve more of these, the authority is poised to continuously ensure the development of indigenous manpower as well providing navigational aids, river training works, wreck surveys and removal, establishment of the river gauges, construction of jetties, capital and maintenance dredging, establishment of search and rescue stations, rivercrafts certification and training of boat drivers and crew, as well as continuous safety sensitization campaigns.”
Minister of Transportation, Sambo, during their facility tour of Port Harcourt area office of NIWA, said the inland waterways was key the development of the country’s economy.
Sambo assured that Federal Government would give the necessary support to NIWA to ensure that it accomplishes its mandate in the maritime sector.
He said: “Inland waterways, as an alternative means of moving economic goods and persons, is key to the development of any country, especially when that country is endowed with water.
“I have identified the need for us to build local capacity for Nigerians involved in the maritime business. In this regard, I am sure the maritime sector is very eager to know what my position is regarding the cabotage vessel financing fund. This is the fund that was established under the Cabotage Act to build domestic capacity.
“I want to see it here that it is indeed, a low-hanging fruit. I will do everything within my powers to make sure that that fund is disbursed to Nigerians as quickly as possible so that Nigerian ship owners can increase capacity as well as generate wealth here instead of patronising foreign ships and money from such business is taken out of the hands if Nigerians, rendering us jobless.
“I want to assure the maritime sector that I have already put in place machinery to make sure that we take benefit from the cabotage vessel financing fund before the end of this year by the grace of God.
“Nigeria is so blessed in the sense that you can access 28 states of this country by water. So, you can imagine if we are able to develop these waterways how logistics costs will reduce, how goods we export out of the country will be very competitive with other commodities across the world.
“In this regard, I will encourage the Managing Director of NIWA to quickly bring to fruition the project that we initiated in Lagos, where we identified the Marina area office as a hub for transhipping cargoes from Lagos through the intercoastal route; Warri, Onitsha.
“Whatever support you will require to get this project kickoff, I will give it to you, even in the middle of the night. Please, move as quickly as you can to ensure that you get this channel management operationalised.
“Onitsha Port, I am happy that it has been consectioned, and let’s monitor the consectioner very well. We have to make sure also that they have a very capable technical partner who will increase value of that Port; modernising the cargo handling equipment and other facilities and infrastructure that will make the movement of cargo seamless and worthy of all efforts.”
