The National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Managing Director, Dr. George Moghalu disclosed today in Lagos at a stakeholders meeting as part of his working visits to various operational areas of the organisation nationwide.
L-R: Dr. George Moughalu, The Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Tony Iju Nwabunike, National President, The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
Moghalu revealed that “We have given directives to our Area Managers to stop any rickety and unlicensed boat found on our waterways from operation. We have asked them to impound such boats. No unlicensed boat operator will be allowed.”
He said that boat operators will be required to register their platforms, pilots and get trained added that any operator found without standard safety kits or overloading of passengers will be arrested and prosecuted
Speaking to maritime operators from various sub sectors, professionals, labour leaders and leaders of coastal communities, Moghalu said the Lagos meeting is the twelfth of his ongoing engagements with stakeholders in different parts of the country.
Moghalu reiterated that we are concerned about the level of accidents on our waterways. Most of them shouldn’t have happened because they are avoidable.
He disclosed this during press briefing that based on information available to me, most of these accidents happen either at nights or early hours of mornings
He further stated that some boats either lack navigational aids or they are rickety or the operators are not qualified or there were no functioning life jackets worn by crew and passengers at the time of accidents
“Any vessel that does not have navigational aids will not be allowed to work in the day or at night. No overloaded vessel will also be allowed to operate.
“A few weeks ago, we signed an agreement with a USA based company that will be supplying life jackets at no cost to NIWA. These life jackets will be made available at all waterfronts. NIWA what ensured that no one will give excuse of boarding boats without life jackets due to unavailability of jackets, he added.
While response to how far he intend to takes NIWA to in operations, he said “I have set a target for myself and that target is to make water transportation a transport mode of choice.
“Part of our efforts are geared towards cleaning up our waterways, remove wrecks, remove water hyacinth to the best of our ability, building new jetties, developing existing jetties and developing our shorelines like we are doing here in Lagos and other parts of the country
“Presently, managing director said we are building a database of all professionally qualified boat operators and it will be sent to all our operational bases. The Area offices will have it and will easily know who is qualified to operate as a boat driver adding that registered vessels will have proof of registration on them that will be captured in a NIWA automated database.
The database, according to him, will also keep records of deviant operators or riders who have flouted the rules and liable for arrest and prosecution.
As a way of building capacity, Moghalu said NIWA training schools in Lagos and Warri are being prepared to trains operators. While disclosed that talks are also on with authorities of Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron to support its training initiative.
Furthermore, he noted that on training of the agency staff, he said the NIWA is fine tuning the Lagos and Port Harcourt training schools so that NIWA staff will be properly trained before they are deployed to work onboard vessels.
On security of the nation’s waters, Moghalu said the authority is collaborating with the police to strengthen the security on our Waterways adding that the Police Headquarters have provided more personnel to NIWA Police to contribute in collaboration with other government security outfits in making Nigerian waters safer.
Moghalu describing NIWA’s relationship with NPA as that of children from same parents, therefore, he said areas of operational disagreements and overlap between Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and NIWA are being adequately addressed equally that of Lagos State Government adding that he met with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State yesterday and they are at the verge of resolving the issues.
