The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has charged the Federal Government to transform waterway infrastructure facilities in order to elicit efficient, prudent and profitable utilization of the waterways transport system.
This according to the Managing Director of NIWA, Mr Munirudeen Oyebamiji, will be in line with shared vision and initiative towards modern competitive multi-modal water transport system with best practices and service consistence with current global standards.
Oyebamiji who made this call at the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) 2023 conference and awards which was held at Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos on Thursday, was represented by the A’uthority’s General Manager, Business Development, Surveyor Olumide Adetola.
In his words “The huge infrastructural deficit grossly affected the waterways transport system in Nigeria.
“Improvement in the institutional structure and features of waterways and its associated public utilities are essential to attaining economic growth”.
He urged the Nigerian government to dredge the waterways serving the eastern ports to reduce congestion at the Apapa ports.
He added that government has to focus on dredging the waterways in the east to enable businessmen directly berth goods at the eastern ports like Onne, amongst others.
Stating that it had been made easier to function following the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, he disclosed that the nation’s waterways resources were grossly underutilized and underdeveloped.
The NIMA boss disclosed that the huge infrastructural deficit grossly affected the waterways transport system in Nigeria, while the improvement in the institutional structure and features of waterways and its associated public utilities are essential to attaining economic growth.
He however chip in that NIWA, NIMASA and NPA were not in any conflict with one another regarding their duties.
