The Nation Newspaper

Tag: water transportation

  • 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.

  • Fed Govt invests N50b in water transportation

    Fed Govt invests N50b in water transportation

    The Federal Government has invested about N50 billion in inland waterways to ensure its efficiency, the Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),  Hajiya Maryam Ciroma, has said.

    The investment, she said in Lagos, is to modernise the sector and boost the economy.

    Nigeria’s natural endowment in inland waterways is about 10,000 kilometres, which if developed through dredging and provision of auxiliary facilities will provide all-year round navigation for the transportation of bulk cargo and passengers.

    The Federal Government, it was learnt, invested the amount to promote the movement of goods and persons through the waterways.

    Over N36 billion of the amount, it was gathered, was spent on the dredging of River Niger to attract local and foreign investors in shipping and promote carriage of inland cargoes through the water.

    Also, it was gathered that an additional N13 billion was spent on the construction of jetties and other ports along the coast line to ease cargo movement and remove pressure on the roads. In addition, N700 million was spent on  machines to eradicate water hyacinths for safe navigation.

    Mrs Ciroma said the Federal Government injected the amount to open up the waterways to local and foreign investors and provide jobs for the youth.

    NIWA, she said, is poised to transform inland waterways infrastructure in line with the Federal Government’s vision towards creating a modern competitive multi-modal inland water transport system, offering services that are consistent with global best practices.

    She said in addition to the dredging of the river, the government was also planning to concession the Onitsha River port in Anambra State to promote trade and commerce, adding that Nigeria is blessed with a large network of inland waters and that government is set to promote inland water transportation because it is the cheapest means of transporting goods.

    According to her, during the colonial ere, there were barges that moved cargoes from Warri in Delta State to Baro, in Niger State, saying the government is determined to revive the system.

    “The nation’s inland water transport system is grossly underutilised and as we tap into it, it will reduce the pressure on the existing roads as many goods being transported by road will pass through the water,” she said.

    The NIWA boss also mentioned that the lower river Niger has been dredged by 2.5 metres to allow cargo and passenger vessels and badges to navigate the water even when the tide is low.

    The dredging of the lower river Niger, she said, covered a total of 500 kilometres from Gwari to Baro area of the Niger, adding that the government has created enabling environment for the private investor to invest and help to develop the water transport sector. She said NIWA  has been given the nod to open up the waterways for a proper transportation system.

    In this respect, she said NIWA is planning to hold a three-day international conference to complement the government’s efforts on opening up the nation’s inland waterways, pointing out that government has removed clog militating against the development of water transportation.

    Hajiya Ciroma said the government is determined to develop a public transport system that would promote people’s safety and security, as well as create jobs for the youths and boost economic development.

    She said the banking sector is expected to play a prominent role at the proposed conference, adding that the agency will use the forum and the exhibition to showcase the huge investment made by the government to the world. She said the inland waters have numerous opportunities to be tapped by importers within and outside the country.

    “Nigeria cannot afford to be lagging behind in modernisation. We need to bring our developments to international standard, so it is important for us to organise the exhibition to know what is obtained internationally so that we too can bring such development to our country,” she said.