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Tag: NIWA

  • Meet new SGF Boss Mustapha

    Meet new SGF Boss Mustapha

    President Muhammadu Buhari Monday approved the appointment of Boss Mustapha as new Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).

    The appointment of the new SGF follows the sack of Babachir Lawal who has been on suspension.

    Until his appointment as SGF, Boss Gida Mustapha was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National inland waterways Authority (NIWA).

    He is a lawyer, management consultant, politician, businessman and boardroom guru of considerable repute.

    Born in Adamawa State, Mr Mustapha attended Hong Secondary School, in Hong Adamawa state and North East College of Arts and Sciences Maiduguri Borno state, crowning it with WASC and HSC in 1976. He earned his Bachelor of Law (LL.B) from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 and was called to bar in 1980. From 1980 to 1981, Mr Mustapha did the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) – Directorate of Legal of legal Services at the Army Headquarters and was in charge of review of Court Marshall Proceedings.

    After his National Service, he joined Sotesa Nigeria Limited, an Italian consultancy firm, as an Executive Director in charge of Administration, leaving in 1983 to join the prestigious law firm Messrs Onagoruwa & Co in Lagos.

    With his law practice fully taken off, Mustapha was appointed Principal Counsel in the firm Messrs Mustapha & Associates, His legal interests and expertise included privatization commercialization and Liberalization of Public Companies/Corporate and Government Parastatals. He was also involved in preparation of varied and miscellaneous banking documents such as Debentures, Guarantees, Mortgages, Bonds and Loan Syndications.

    One of Mr. Mustapha’s career highlights was his appointment as a member of Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the defunct Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), serving meritoriously from 2000 to 2007. At the PTF, he was responsible for production of an up-t0-date comprehensive project and programme report, including location, coverage and whether performed, performing or abandoned production of final report of Assets and Liabilities, examination of the Administrative structure and cost effectiveness of pf Projects and Services among other duties.

    Mustapha also played key leadership roles at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) serving as Social Secretary and Chairman at the Yola branch.

    After his stint at the PTF in 2007, Mr. Mustapha was appointed Principal Partner of the law firm, Adroit Lex. His law practice and the burning desire to serve the larger society conspired to attract him into politics, at various times, he was member Federal Republic of Nigeria Constituent Assembly (1988-1989), Chairman People’s Solidarity Party-Gongola State (1989-1990), state chairman, Social Democratic Party-Gongola State (1990-1991); he was even a gubernatorial candidate for SDP in Adamawa state in 1991.

    He was the Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria from 2010 to 2013. In 2007, he again played a prominent role, serving as the Deputy Director General of the party’s Presidential campaign Organization. His services remained in high demand after the fusing of CAN joined forces with other parties to form the All Progressive Congress (APC). He was a member of NCC and Secretary APC Presidential Campaign Organization Mobilization (2015) and member, APC Transition Committee (2015). He is also a member, APC Board of Trustees.

    In addition to the NBA, the new SGF is a member of various professional bodies including African Bar Association (ABA), Commonwealth Lawyers Association, International Bar Association (IBA) and Human Rights Institute (HRI). But Mustapha’s accomplishments go beyond politics and the Bar; he is a respected boardroom guru, having been appointed into the boards of several companies in the manufacturing financial services as well as oil and gas sectors. He is the National Vice President, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship international Nigeria.

    While at NIWA, his address to management staff on assuming office set the tone, style and direction of his administration. He stressed teamwork and the need to focus on the Authority’s vision and mission. Married with children, Mustapha enjoys golf, lawn tennis, travelling, documentary films, charity work and meeting people.

  • Lagos, NIWA flex muscles over waterways control

    Lagos, NIWA flex muscles over waterways control

    As the Lagos State Government today begins the enforcement of its Waterways Authority Laws 2008, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) believes there is nothing to be excited about in an appeal court’s ruling on the matter. To the agency, the judgment has changed nothing, ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes.

    Barring last minute extension, the Lagos State government will today begin the enforcement of its laws on waterways.

    It has since last month renewed the age-long rivalry over the control of its inland waterways with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

    The issue this time is an appellate court’s judgment on July 18, 2017, giving full and exclusive control of the bodies of water within the state to Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has since endorsed the  judgment, describing it as a watershed.

    Ambode, who has been battling with high tidal flooding in the state, said the judgment would put an end to indiscriminate dredging which imperils the state.

    But beyond the environmental nuisance of indiscriminate dredging, is the accruable economic benefit, a reason Ambode described the judgment as victory for fiscal federalism.

    “The judgment is a major success in the quest of the state government to control its resources and enshrine the true spirit of fiscal federalism.

    “With the judgment, the era of uncontrolled dredging is over in the state as the state government would take firm control over its inland waterways and the adjoining lands including all sand dredging activities,” Ambode stated.

    Last Tuesday,  the government gave all operators on its waterways seven days to comply. It said it would not hesitate to sanction erring operators, who refused to comply with its extant laws.

    The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Adeniji Kazeem said the state’s laws would be strictly enforced.

    He said it is morally, legally and economically wrong for an agency that is Abuja-based to insist on controlling activities on its waterways, describing such as absurd.

    He said the state would not only continue to champion fiscal federalism, the “government would remain unbowed and fiercely protect its God-given resources.”

    The appeallate court judgment, in the state government’s view, seem to have finally sealed the differences between NIWA and the littoral state over the control of its natural resources.

    But NIWA has cautioned that the state should not be “over-excited” on a matter it did not originate.

    According to the Federal Government agency, the state government needs to come out with the true picture of the said judgment, insisting that the judgment is rather in favour of NIWA than the Lagos State government.

    NIWA’s Managing Director Mustapha Gida, in a statement, said the Court of Appeal only granted Lagos State the power to legislate on intra-state waterways – waterways that originate and end within Lagos State.

    “However, such waterways do not exist in Lagos State because all bodies of waterways in Lagos State are either international, tidal, intra-coastal and/or inter-state waterways,” NIWA pointed out.

    NIWA further contended that the Court of Appeal retained the power to regulate international, intra-coastal and inter-state waterways in the agency; “being items provided under Articles 36 and 64 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    He said NIWA was also a co-defendant like Lagos State in the matter on which the judgment was given, and not the plaintiff as wrongly painted by the state.

    The NIWA chief noted that beside the Court of Appeal judgment, there is another subsisting Court of Appeal decision in G. M Ent. Ltd vs C.R. Investment Ltd. reported in (2011) 14 N.W.L.R. part 1266, page 125, where the Court of Appeal held that NIWA has been conferred with far-reaching power and right to control, develop, manage and use all the lands, navigable waterways, inland waterways, river ports throughout Nigeria.

    “The position, therefore, remains that it is only the Federal Government that can regulate Inland Waterways, Shipping, Navigation and Dredging activities within the Nigerian Inland Waterways and its Right-of–Ways,” he emphasised.

    He urged maritime and dredgers to disregard the latest claims by the Lagos State government, urging them to remain calm and continue to carry on their legitimate businesses as regulated by NIWA.

    Adding that the agency has filed an appeal against the judgment at the Supreme Court, pending the transmission of the judgment to NIWA, he  said Lagos State had nothing to be excited about since the judgment did not change the status quo ante.

    Gida said he wa committed to rewriting the history of NIWA and making the organisation an example of a profitable entity and a global reference point.

    At the National Assembly recently, Gida spoke of his dream to reform the nation’s 932 nautical miles coastline and transform the waterways to a goldmine.

    Beyond the usual bickerings with the Lagos State Government, NIWA, the chief said, is committed to bequeathing a thriving water economy to Nigerians.

    But was NIWA all talk and no impact? Facts on ground seem to point otherwise. Established in 1996, NIWA has been given total control of the nation’s inland waterways. Among other powers, NIWA ss empowered to grant licences and discharge raw water intake in respect of all federal navigable waterways. Though NIWA had in the past been toothless, leaving the nation’s waterways prostate, it however has started a new realignment and re-engagement with the private sector beginning with operators and investors in Lagos.

    Soon, passenger ferries would start trotting across the nation’s vast waterways to encourage tourism and discover new waterfront towns and villages.

    Apart from tourism and tourist resorts, fisheries, haulage, waterfront properties and new town development and having aviation runways on water, are some of the ambitious visions of the new team managing NIWA.

    That was why Mustapha insisted the accruable revenue that would come from the waterway sector can only be better imagined by a people who never knew the waterways could be so hugely resourceful.

    Association of boats and dredgers last week insisted it could only comply with all inland waterways laws, rules, and guidelines set by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

    Chairman of the Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Chief Wellington Akingbulu who claimed that it was his association that took NIWA, Nigerian Maritime Admnistration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), to court over who to pay charges to, said contrary to the state government’s claim, the ruling was unmistakeably in favour of NIWA.

    “It is a clear issue and judiciary has given its judgment. It was ATBIWATON that sued NIMASA, NIWA and LASWA on who to pay tariff to and the Appeal Court gave judgement in favour of NIWA, so we will continue paying to NIWA. To us nothing has changed,” he said.

    He said what the court said was that Lagos State has total control on all water bodies that begin and end within Lagos. ‘’If Lagos can show us any such water that begins and ends in Lagos, that is what the Appeal Court gave judgement over. The judgement was very clear in stating that NIWA still have control over any other kind of water that flows into Lagos and flows out of the state to other states or joined with others into either the lagoon or the Atlantic Ocean’’.

    Akingbulu said he and other members of the association are not moved by the state government’s deadline which expired today. He said as a law abiding entity, his members have no doubt that the state government would be guided by decorum and allow their action to be guided by the law.

    Akingbulu observed that since NIWA has indicated interest in appealing the judgement at the Supreme Court, the state would have to wait for the last statement from the apex court.

    Though the state government may be unyielding, it is not too clear it would also jump at enforcing the rules immediately without clearing the fog created by the misinterpretation of the appellate court’s judgement.

    Maritime experts say the state may have no choice than to embrace patience than to be drawn into another legal spin with the agency. Citing similar instance recently, sources said NIWA until the laws setting it up is amended, is a monopoly because it is on the federal exclusive list. No state would be able to whittle down its influence until the law is amended.

    A lawyer, Adedeji Adewale, said it is preposterous that the Lagos State government intends to profit in a matter in which it never originated.

    Recalling that the matter before which a ruling was given was not filed by the state government or any of its agent, Adewale wondered how the state government, who was one of the defendants in the matter would end up appropriating the judgment in its favour, and tarring the other party which was a co-defendant in the matter with the mud.

    He agreed with stakeholders in the industry that the key to resolving the logjam lies either in the Supreme Court’s pronouncement, the path which NIWA seems to have taken or to wait on the National Assembly for an amendment to its laws which gave it exclusive regulatory rights to the nation’s waters.

  • N10b river ports spark Reps probe of NIWA

    N10b river ports spark Reps probe of NIWA

    The House of Representatives is set to probe the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to determine its efficiency in securing passengers and their goods, it has been learnt.

    The lawmakers, sources said, settled for the probe because they felt NIWA was not doing enough about the safety of passengers around and their goods.

    The House Committee on Ports, Harbours and Waterways is said to be worried that NIWA is not doing enough to make the ports attractive to investors, despite N10 billion being spent on the construction of river ports in Onitsha (Anambra), Lokoja, Baro and Oguta (Imo).

    Findings revealed that work on Baro, Lokoja and Oguta river ports have attained 98, 57 and 75 per cent completion. Onitsha has been completed and a waiting concession.

    A government source told The Nation that N3.5 billion was spent on Baro, Lokoja, N4.1 billion and Oguta, N2.7 billion.

    NIWA, he said, was yet to provide the platform that would ensure security on the waterways to allow for private sector investment and participation in the river ports to trigger improved utilisation of inland waterways for transportation and easy conveyance of cargo from one part of the country to another.

    The authority, a source also said, was yet to take its rightful place in waterways development and reposition the agency to meet the expected target of river port operators and users.

    He bemoaned the unregulated activities within and around the corridors of Nigerian waterways and urged NIWA to wake up to its responsibility by securing the waterways and make the river ports attractive.

    The unregulated activities of the local boat operators, he said, could affect security of passengers  aboard vessels, on shore facilities at intermodal connections, and where other transportation modes interact with NIWA infrastructure.

    “The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) was established  to improve and develop Nigeria’s inland waterways for navigation. It also has the responsibility to issue licences for inland navigation, piers, jetties and dockyards; examine and survey inland watercraft and shipyard operators, grant permit and licences for sand dredging, pipeline construction, dredging of slot and approve designs and construction of inland river crafts.

    NIWA’s role include effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the river ports they are promoting and other government facilities they are linked with.

    “But if you move from Marina in Lagos to Epe, Iyana-Oworo,  Ojo,  Badagry, Lekki, Osoroko, Ibese, Ogogo village behind the Lagos port and other riverine areas across the country, you will see the impunity with which the local boat operators are operating on our waters without any corrective measures being taken by officials of NIWA.

    “The July 2005 terrorist bombings in London highlighted the need to protect US mass transit systems, including ferries. Later, the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita highlighted the criticality of preparedness for recovery of the MTS following a large-scale disaster.  The 2008 terrorist attack via the maritime domain against Mumbai, India, highlighted the tie between border security and PWCS.  After each event, the Coast Guard reviewed its PWCS strategy and made adjustments where appropriate,” he said.

    He continued: “Therefore, the management of the agency needs not be remembered that it must ensure that the river ports and maritime personnel, both domestically and international, need safe and secure environment to operate. Safety regulations for other modes of transportation like inland water usage can also help reduce security risks at the nation’s sea ports.

    “Given recent intelligence regarding the threats to maritime assets and the attractiveness of these assets to attacks, it would be prudent for the National Assembly to review transportation safety regulations to determine if reasonable changes could be made by NIWA to promote security.

    “The National Assembly will hold the management of the agency  accountable for not fulfilling their roles/responsibilities, and we must also provide incentives for excellent management performance in other maritime agencies and give penalties for inadequate performance.”

    He added: “As a nation, we must do more to protect the water transportation system. We must prevent accident and attacks, which could destroy critical infrastructure and key assets in the maritime domain, and disrupt river port activities. That is why Maritime Transportation System Security is an essential component to the National Strategy for Maritime Security.”

    Operators and port users in Apapa also attested to the fact that the agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuing safety  on inland water. is asleep.

    An importer who lives in Ikorodu and come to the port through the water, Mr Samuel Adewoyin, bemoaned how operators were not adhering to safety standards and the lack of commitment by NIWA officials to enforce government rules and regulation on the waterways

    The Nation’s findings revealed that safety measures were not being observed by local boat operators in many places visited.

    Most of the operators do not  have navigational aids, cabin lighting systems, life jackets, fire extinguishers, paddle, life buoys, shore to sea communication gadgets, key starter and alarm systems  by most of local commercial boats

    In most cases, boats used in Lagos areas are rickety, not seaworthy and very risky for passengers. Despite the risks, the passengers are left with no choice than to use them because NIWA was no where on the water to enforce standard. There are even many cases where live-jackets are not offered to passengers not to talk of the state of health of the boat. This explains why from time to time, accidents occur and so many people lose their lives

  • Baro, two other ports to be ready in 2017

    The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on Wednesday said works on the N10 billion inland ports under construction in Baro, Lokoja and Ogoja would be completed in 2017.

    The Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed this in Lokoja during an interaction with journalists, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    Mustapha said works on the ports at Baro, Lokoja and Ogoja had reached 98 per cent, 57 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

    He put the contract sums of the ports at Baro at N3.5 billion, Lokoja; N4.1 billion and Ogoja at N2.7 billion.

    He said all the ports would be completed during the 2017 fiscal year, saying the ports would be provided with other auxiliary facilities.

    The NIWA boss also said the augury port in Imo State had reached 70 per cent completion, while the Onitsha port had been completed and ready for use.

     

  • NIWA MD resigns

    The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hajiya Maryam Ciroma, yesterday resigned her appointment.

    Mrs. Ciroma, a former Minister of Women Affairs and ex-National Woman Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed in May 2013.

    Her resignation followed allegations of non-performance and abandonment of projects, touted by the outgoing PDP administration in its ‘Transformation Agenda’.

    One of such projects listed by NIWA is the dredging of the River Niger, handled by Van Oord Dredging.

    Some of the undelivered NIWA projects include the rivers ports in Lokoja and Idah in Kogi State and the Baro River Port in Niger State.

    NIWA, in a statement by the General Manager (Corporate Affairs), Tayo Fadile, quoted Mrs. Ciroma as thanking President Goodluck Jonathan for the opportunity to serve.

  • Ciroma resigns as NIWA’s MD

    Ciroma resigns as NIWA’s MD

    The Managing Director of the National inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hajia Inna Ciroma, on Wednesday tendered her resignation letter, with effect from May 28.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Tayo Fadile, the authority’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, and made available to newsmen in Lokoja.

    The statement quoted the information from her Letter of resignation addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

    It stated that the former Minister of Women Affairs thanked President Goodluck Jonathan, for giving her the opportunity to serve in that capacity.

    “It will be recalled that Ciroma assumed duty as the Managing Director of NIWA on May 13, 2013 following her appointment by the President.

    “Ciroma, who is also a former National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said her decision to resign was honourable and the right thing to do,” the statement said.

    It quoted her as thanking the management and staff of NIWA for their cooperation throughout her tenure.

  • NIWA parleys with boat operators

    NIWA parleys with boat operators

    The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lagos recently had a stakeholders’ meeting with operators on the inland waterway in the state.

    The meeting was to rub minds between the operators and the regulatory agency on how to make the inland waterways in Lagos safe as an alternative means of transportation. Some of the burning matters in the industry which came under scrutiny were issues of safety, life-jacket, operational boats and working environment.

    The Area Manager of the agency in Lagos, Mr. Sambo Jaji, spoke on the meeting and some of the outcome: “Some of the agreements reached included: one, all passengers on board vessels must wear their life-jackets properly before they board any boat.

    “ Two, we have also agreed that boat captains are what you have quarter-masters must be certified by NIMASA which in the regulatory body for certifying such professionals. We have also agreed that boats to be used in ferrying passengers must be safe, sound and water-tight at all times. These are some of the issues that we have already agreed up on.

    “One other important matter is the issue of passenger manifest. Any time you board an aircraft, there is normally a manifest. In case anything happens, the world know who and who are on the aircraft.

    “ We have introduced that concept in Lagos. This is the first time in the entire country. We insist that operators ferrying passengers must have a manifest of such passengers before take-off.

    “We produced the manifest booklet for them free of charge for six months, thereafter we require that each of them would continue to produce it. We are going to enforce it because we believe it is important.”

    Sambo said most of the operators in Lagos have complied with the agency’s directive that all operators must provide life- jackets for their passengers.

    He explained: “Compliance has been, maybe, 80 per cent. In every human endeavour, there are bound to be short- comings here and there. For example, we heard the report from the Secretary General of the Association of Tourism Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATN) that at a particular jetty, they are using sub-standard life-jackets. We are going to get to that jetty as quickly as possible to make sure that all obsolete and sub-standard jackets are royed.”

  • Lagos tackles NIWA on tax, tarriff

    Lagos tackles NIWA on tax, tarriff

    Lagos State government has advised properties owners along the shorelines in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and other parts of the state against dealing with National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on taxes, levies or  tariff.

    The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner  for Justice, Ade Ipaye, said NIWA does not have constitutional authority or statutory power to assess properties in Lagos for payment of any tax, levy, fee or tariff.

    In a statement, Ipaye clarified that under the constitution,  the power to assess privately owned houses or tenements for rates is vested in local government authorities by virtue of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “The Local Government Councils in Lagos State have neither delegated this power to NIWA nor appointed NIWA to act for them in this regard,” he averred.

    The state government therefore, advised property owners who have been served with such demand notices by NIWA to forward same to the office of the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice so that the government could take necessary steps to protect affected properties.

    The  statement titled “Lagos State government regularisation and regulation of properties in Lagos State by National Inland Waterways Authority was issued in reaction to various petitions from concerned property owners in the Ikoyi and Victoria Island areas of the state who were served with demand notices for payments in respect of NIWA’s supposed “Right of Way” and “regularisation exercise”.

    The property owners are also being asked to pay various sums of money as processing fee, inspection fee, monitoring fee, shore utilisation fee, and others and to grant NIWA’s field officers access to their private properties for purposes of measuring the shoreline for accurate assessment of their NIWA tariff.

    The g overnment said it has  carefully reviewed the applicable legislation setting up NIWA “and it is our considered view that its functions do not extend to the assessment, regulation or taxation of properties that are not obstructing any declared waterways.”

    It argued that  under the Land Use Act, all land comprised in the territory of each state is vested solely in the state governor.

    “The Lands (Title Vesting) Decree, which purported to vest title of all land within the 100 metres limit of the 1967 shoreline and all land reclaimed near the lagoon, sea or ocean in the Federal Government has been invalidated by a court of competent jurisdiction since 2000. In effect, that obnoxious Act has ceased to be part of Nigerian Law,” the statement added.

  • NIWA to improve water transportation

    The Lagos State government,  through the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has partnered a private ferry operator- Seacoast Ferry Service, to improve water transportation in the state.

    Its Lagos Area Manager, Mohammed Sambo, said to realise this, Seacoast Ferry Service has deployed nine boats in Lagos waters, planning to add 15 more boats to the fleet.

    He assured prospective operators of NIWA’s readiness to extend the necessary institutional support to them, which he hoped would be valuable towards achieving efficient waterway transportation and improving the operations of the partners.

    Sambo said such effort from NIWA would also help in making the inland water transportation busy and safer for Lagos residents.

    Analysts say with an estimated over six million people plying Lagos daily, either to their work places or around the state, water transportation remains the best option for such movement, especially when the turnaround time on such trips are considered.

    Sambo maintained that the core mandate of the NIWA is to ensure the development of the inland waterway transport system in the country, which is the fourth mode of transportation but remains the least developed in the country.

    He said: “Our job is to make inland waterway transport as busy as possible. Seacoast has our approval to operate ferry at our terminal at CMS, Victoria Island and Ikorodu.”

    But while this is a laudable effort,

    the problem of water hyacinth remains a major concern to ferry operators. This is because of the damage the hyacinth does to their ferry. Sambo admits that water hyacinth is a genuine concern. He however assured that NIWA was doing everything possible to ensure the clearance of hyacinth on the waterways. These efforts include the deployment of the Authority’s water hyacinth clearing machine to clean up the plant from the waterways to make ferry movement as easy as possible.

    To further boost water transportation, NIWA, which currently operates nine boats, hopes to acquire additional 11 more boats before year ends.

  • Waterways not developed, says NIWA

    Waterways not developed, says NIWA

    Despite its huge potential, sea transport remains the least developed mode of transportation, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Managing Director Hajiya Inna Maryam Ciroma has said.

    Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of SeaCoach Ferries Ltd., at Ebute-Iga in Ikorodu, in Lagos State, Hajiya Ciroma said NIWA in spite of the challenges, would continue to make the Inland Waterways transportation (IWT) attractive to local and international investors.

    If fully utilised, over six million passengers can use water transportation monthly, she said.

    Describing the nation’s waterways as a goldmine, Hajiya Ciroma said NIWA has found an investor to help deepen the sector, adding that roughly 60 percent of the nation’s 8,600 km of waterways remained unused.

    She said water hyacinth is a major challenge facing operators and called on the investor to help in ridding the waterways of the menace. NIWA, she said, has been deploying its machines in fighting the menace off the waterways, adding that the actions are, however, proving inadequate.

    The NIWA Chief represented by NIWA’s Head of Monitoring and Compliance, Mr Muazu Jaji, hailed the quality of boats being deployed by Sea Coach Ferries, adding that with the coming of operator, passengers are in for a good travel experience.

    She said: “When this operator approached NIWA for a licence to operate on our waters, it was not too difficult to see that this operator knows what he is into and it is a credence to the quality of his proposal that his licence to operate from Ikorodu to CMS was approved within three days.”

    She said the operator, who was coming from Sierra-Leone have deployed nine boats for take-off while another five would arrive by June, as six more would be added to the fleet by December to make a total of 20 modern coaches on the state’s waters.

    NIWA, she said, had no problem approving the Ikorodu to CMS and Victoria Island routes for the operator, adding that the Ikorodu to Leventis/Ebute-Ero route would soon begin. She added that the agency allowed the operator to use two of its jetties for its operations.

    Hajiya Ciroma said water transportation is a better option for the people of Ikorodu to beating the heavy Lagos traffic which could make passengers spend more than five hours on the road between Ikorodu and CMS. The same distance could be covered in 35 minutes by the ferry, she said.

    She lauded the operator’s plan to commence soon, the local building of boats in the state, adding that when this comes on stream, it would create jobs for Nigerians.

    “We want to assure the Seacoach of NIWA’s cooperation in ensuring that this investment becomes a win-win for all its stakeholders,” Hajiya Ciroma said.

    The Managing Director of Seacoach Ferries Mr Olusegun Jaji said the company is coming into the country as a major player having been a leading player in Sierra-Leone, where it has operated for the past six years.

    He said in the next two years, the company intends to deploy over 40 modern sea coaches to cover not only Ikorodu to CMS and Ikorodu to Victoria Island, but to expand to as many areas as possible.

    Jaji said: “Part of our medium  term plan is to inject  about 50 boats over the next two years; we are starting with nine and would increase our fleet to 20 by December and another 20 by the following year.

    ‘’We are bringing coaches with comfortable seats and adequate leg room and television. Each boat comes with twin 2500cc engine in line with global practices and the guarantee is that even if one of the engine packed up, the second can take you safely to your destination. This is complemented with big panoramic windows that ensure a good view of the lagoon.”

    Jaji said each voyage is accompanied by three crew led by the captain and two sea men. While one seaman stands in front to have a good view of any floating object and guide the captain against it, the other stands at the rear to monitor the engines.

    He said though water transportation is capital intensive, the company has what it takes to extend its services nationwide.

    “We intend to operate water transportation services across the country. We can service any route because the terrain in Nigeria is calmer than Sierra-Leone where we had to contend with navigating the ocean,” Jaji said.

    The Lead Consultant IHB Consulting, Chief Qudus Folami, described Seacoach Ferries as an ambitious project.

    Folami, who was the lead consultant to NIWA on the project, said the company is bringing to Nigeria global competencies that would help deepen waterways transportation.

    Speaking on behalf of the traditional chiefs, the Regent of Ikorodu and Lissa of Ikorodu Kingdom, Chief Zacheaus Oludele Odusoga, praised the operators for bringing the project to the area. He, however, called on the firm to consider youths of the area in their job drive.

    Guests had a feel of the ferry on a return trip on the Ikorodu to CMS route, describing their experience as awesome.