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LASWA urges association to resolve waterways challenges

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has urged the newly floated Waterfronts Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN) to resolve the challenges confronting the Lagos waterways.

The General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, gave the advice in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

Emmanuel had received the National President of WABOTAN, Mr Babatope Fajemirokun, the National Secretary, Kafo Lateef, the Spokesman, Chief Raymond Gold, and other members who paid him a visit.

He commended them for their role in promoting safety and security on the waterways, training operators and creating a database for various government agencies.

He also commended the leadership for its foresight, adding that LASWA would always monitor them to ensure they did not derail from carrying out their roles.

“A lot of associations have been coming to us at the National Inland Waterways Authority, but all they are about is money, it has been a deciding factor.

“We have already set a benchmark for you, between now and December, we will have a review of these objectives.

“As an authority, we will be watching to see that you are operating within the premise of what you promised to do; our primary objective is to see how you can fulfill these objectives.

“The issues itemised are the major problems currently bedeviling the waterways, so if you can come solve it, trust me, it will be an ‘A’ star for your association,” Emmanuel said.

Earlier, Fajemirokun said WABOTAN was incorporated under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 as amended and fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

He said the association had existed in the past five years, but decided to play the back role.

“Part of our aims and objectives is promoting safety and security on our waterways.

“It is also training and re-training of our members to develop and build manpower for the water transport sector.

“We also create a database that can assist in implementation of the plans.

“We assist various government agencies in collecting government revenue in a seamless manner; we empower members to build wealth and reduce poverty,” he said.

Fajemirokun said WABOTAN had its membership spread across the littoral states of the country, adding that Lagos alone could boast of 250 registered members.

The national president dismissed thoughts of conflicts between WABOTAN and other sister associations who had been in existence, saying the association would only complement their successes.

“Ninety-five per cent of WABOTAN members are new members and not existing members of any of the sister associations, and we shall be partnering with sister associations, including the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN),” he said.

Speaking, the National Publicity Secretary of WABOTAN, Gold, said the association would develop viable water transportation and a sustainable alternative to the challenges faced on the roads.

“Our association had actually been around for some years, but this time around we felt we should regularise it, so we got incorporated.

“We have been active participants in the water transport sector.

“We are now seeking partnership with relevant government departments, ministries and agencies,” Gold said.

final-turbine-installed-at-block-island-deepwater

NIWA seeks proper funding to maximise opportunities in waterways

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The Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) says huge opportunities in the nation’s waterways can be maximised if there are infrastructure and proper funding.

The Managing Director, NIWA, Dr George Moghalu, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos on Saturday.

Moghalu said this during the facility tour and commissioning of the newly acquired two patrol boats (PB-Gusau and PB-Jalingo) and a 32-seater passenger ferry boat by the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, in Port Harcourt.

According to him, infrastructure and funding will make the waterways attractive and competitive to players.

He also said that there was need for a regulatory framework aimed at actualising this, which ultimately would take the cost of providing infrastructure on roads to water at relatively cheaper cost.

“As you may be aware, in less than a year ago, the authority commissioned more than 20 patrol boats and a tugboat, houseboat and water ambulance for distribution to various area offices.

“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.

“The vision of the authority is also to make Nigeria, the leader in inland waterways transportation, development and management in Africa, hence the need to ensure the development of infrastructural facilities for a national inland waterways network.

“The network will connect the creeks and the rivers with the economic centres using the river ports as nodal points for intermodal exchange,” he said.

Moghalu noted that consequently, NIWA had licensed several companies for transportation of cargo across the waterways, especially from Lagos and Onne Ports to the hinterlands and vice versa.

“To achieve more of these, the authority is poised to continuously ensure  the development of indigenous manpower and provide navigational aids, river training works, wreck surveys and removal, establishment of river gauges.

“Others are construction of jetties, capital and maintenance dredging, establishment of search and rescue stations, river craft certification, training of boat drivers and crew as well as continuous safety sensitisation campaigns.

“As we speak, the sixth batch of training and certification of boat skippers by the authority is ongoing in Lagos. Even expatriates are participating in this training and certification,” he said.

In his response, Sambo said that the ministry was set to frontally tackle the challenge of channel insecurity which had slowed the growth of the Eastern Ports.

”This will be done by deploying assets of the Deep Blue project and the renewed synergy between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Navy.

“The recent growth in vessel traffic in Onne Port, especially for exports is a testament to the strategic importance of the Eastern Ports in supporting the renewed export orientation of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“The recent establishment of an Export Processing Terminal at Onne Port by Messrs WACT is highly commendable. I will like to also appreciate Brawal for the timely support provided the NPA at crucial times,” he said.

The minister said that most of the challenges of aging infrastructure and allied matters raised in previous stakeholder engagements with the NPA management had been brought to his attention.

He gave the assurance that the government was working assiduously to provide measurable solutions as quickly as possible.

“Let me reiterate that the Federal Ministry of Transportation will expeditiously review all concession agreements and ensure strict compliance with the terms by the NPA and concessionaires,” he added.

Non-oil

Shippers Council, NIWA inaugurate committee to tackle inland waterways’ challenges

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Moses Uwagbale

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) have constituted a Joint Technical Committee to address factors mitigating the development of inland waterways transport in the country.

The eight-member committee saddled with the responsibility of attaining seamless movement of goods and persons through the country’s inland waterways, comprised Directors from NSC and General Managers from NIWA.

Speaking at the inauguration , the Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, charged the team to be diligent, while adding that the task if done properly,  could bring enormous economic benefits for the nation.

“Recall that one of the critical functions of Shippers’ Council is the consideration of problems faced by shippers with regards to inland waterways transportation of goods and to advise the government on possible solutions thereto.

“The NSC in playing this role and in addition to its economic regulatory function,  has the responsibility of ensuring seamless and effective cargo movement along the transport chains, reduce costs and facilitate trade,” he said.

Bello said these responsibilities supported the council’s continuous quest for collaborative partnerships with relevant agencies to drive programmes and projects that would change the face of the nation’s logistics chain.

“Our target is to ensure the availability, affordability, stability, predictability, adequacy and accessibility of transport services, facilitation of multi-modal approaches to movement of cargo and persons.

“Also, the development of critical transport infrastructure that support trade as well as enforcement of good service standards and best practice across all transport modes at reasonable costs in Nigeria,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s inland waterways of about 8,600km, stretched from Lagos and Port Harcourt to the north.

He said that river ports could support decongestion of the seaports through quicker evacuation of containers to the hinterland by barges.

“I have no doubt that our nation’s inland waterways hold high values for the transportation sector and we must therefore put adequate measures in place toward harnessing their potential.

“This can be through dredging and charting of the river channels, regulating inland waterways’ navigation.

“Also, linking the river ports with the economic centres such as the Inland Dry Ports and Container Freight Stations, connecting the inland waterways with roads and the railways to facilitate movement of goods to and from the hinterland,” the NSC boss said.

Bello said he was delighted by the disposition of the Managing Director of NIWA,  Dr George Moghalu , toward the success of this business relationship between both agencies.

He, however, encouraged NIWA to take its regulation into inland waterways toward developing indigenous technical and managerial capacity for barge operations.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of NIWA, Dr George Moghalu who was represented by the General Manager, Marine, Mr Joseph Ororo stated that it was pertinent that the sector is adequately standardised.

He said such would ensure safe, secure and efficient service delivery for proper integration of barge operations into the nation’s transportation system.

He added that it would help to decongest our seaports and facilitate multi-modal approach to cargo evacuation.

He revealed that NIWA had licensed eight companies to begin barge operations from Lagos to Onitsha.

“We are so glad with this development. The committee has been setup and NIWA recently held a meeting with stakeholders on safety and other regulatory aspects of inland waterways transportation,” Ororo said.

Members of the committee include; the Director, Regulatory Services, NSC, Ms Ifeoma Ezedinma; the Director, Inland Transport Service, NSC, Mrs Ada Okam; the Director, Legal Services, NSC, Mr Tahir Idris; and the Director, Consumer Affairs Department, NSC, Chief Cajetan Agu.