As Dilapidated Infrastructure Threatens Passengers’ Safety On Inland Waterways

Before another boat accident occurs on Lagos inland waterways, boat operators’ have called on the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), to remove wrecks, water hycinth and ensure proper lightening of buoys for safe navigation, YUSUF BABALOLA writes.

Last week, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), claimed responsibility of all inland waterways in the country. The authority, while quoting a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt judgment, ruled that state governments have no business in managing , controlling or putting measures in place to regulate inland waterways operators.

The authority, according to a judgment which was delivered by the judge of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Justice I.S Mark, stated that inland waterways in Nigeria is exclusively within the control of NIWA by virtue of the constitution and the Act establishing NIWA by the National Assembly.

However, as NIWA continues to fight for control of the nation’s inland waterways, it has failed to effectively harness potentials inherent in waterway transportation in Nigeria, especially in Lagos.

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For instance, in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of the country, water transportation, contributes 3.2 per cent to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),and this is due to poor infrastructure available for water transportation in the state.

A state with over 15.4million people rely solely on road transportation with over 99.5 per cent of its inhabitants moving by road with less than five per cent commuting by water.

According to stakeholders, infrastructure needed to make water transportation attractive to Lagosians is missing while those available are not maintained or monitored by the NIWA area office domiciled in the state.

Infrastructure such as jetties are dilapidated or not enough, navigational aides are removed from the inland waterway routes because they are not monitored or properly placed, water hycinth damaging boat operators’ craft while ship wrecks litter navigational routes.

Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, the president, Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Ganiyu Tarzan, urged the federal government to intensify effort to turn around water transportation in the state.

Tarzan, while acknowledging government’s contributions, however, said the contributions are not enough and should be intensified.

He stated that recently installed navigational buoys should have lightenings and monitored by NIWA to ensure its safety as well as it acheiving it’s main objective of providing safe navigation for boat operators.

He said, “In Lagos, NIWA is trying but there are still a lot that is needed to be done. Lagos government is putting a lot of fund on infrastructure and water transportation, though the sector has been neglected for a long time and government is just coming up to revive it. Today, there are lot of boats on the waterways and before we hardly see boats. We are on the right path and the federal government is doing its best but the best is not enough.

There are lot of infrastructure that should be put in place. NIWA has been removing wrecks from the water and we are having high tide for about three months ago now, though they are easing out and some wrecks, operators can’t see them during high tide when navigating. Though, NIWA has removed some. When we spoke about Jetties, NIWA is trying to improve Marina jetty, but they shouldn’t concentrate on marina jetty but on jetties across the states.

“Government should give more money to them to monitor the buoys as well. For instance, some of the buoys on the waterways are no longer there, some are drifted, so NIWA needs time to check on these and there should be lightening on the buoys. It’s unfortunate that people do not know these things are navigation to guide boat operators to their destinations at night or during the day. It’s unfortunate some of us don’t care what it means to do that and that is very discouraging when government put aides in the waterway and some people are removing it. If government put something for the good of the people and we tamper with them, that is very bad and that is why I said NIWA needs to from time to time patrol of the waterways and they should be funded. They need to move days and night and the buoys should be lit up because if they are there and not lit, it’s as good as nothing.”

He, however, stated that lack of infrastructure was responsible fo the government directive banning night sailing of boats.

Tarzan, said if necessary infrastructure are provided by NIWA, the Lagos roads will be decongested by transport operators as they will operate round the clock.

“If Government is saying we should decongest the road and make use of the waterways then that means government should put infrastructure on ground properly so that when people closes from work, they should use the water.

“The government needs to put infrastructure in place that will guide boat operators so that those going on the right and left will know themselves. Buoys should show boat operators road to follow even though accidents do happen, but some are human error or non-availability of directive signage to show people where they are going.”