The Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) said it has put a mechanism in place to gradually stop the use of wooden boats in waterways across member states.
Managing Director of the Commission, Abubakar Yelwa stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
Yelwa said the move will put an end to incessant boat mishaps resulting in loss of lives and properties especially, those recorded during the rainy season.
He explained that most of the accidents on the waterways occurred due to the inability of the wooden boats to withstand the pressure from the waves as a result of their deplorable condition occasioned by age.
The managing director who was represented by the Head, Press and Public Affairs of the Commission, Malam Nura Wakil, stated that each wooden boat has a lifespan, adding that when such outlived its sea or river worthiness, it became a serious danger to the passengers and threat to the system.
The Commission therefore came up with the plan to phase out wooden boats with fiberglass boats as replacements.
Already, he said the commission has already commenced the distribution of fiberglass boats to member states in a bid to enhance marine transportation and reduce boat mishaps.
He explained that what each state got is dependent on the intensity of boat activities in such areas, even as he expressed hope that the gesture will prompt state governments to recognise the importance of water transportation and invest in it as a vital component of the national transport infrastructure.
Yelwa promised that the distribution of fiberglass boats will continue on a yearly basis until the wooden boats are completely phased out.
He further highlighted that fiberglass boats are more durable, safer and offer superior performance in navigating rivers using minimal human labour, which would reduce risks associated with human error.
He expressed the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to revolutionising marine transportation and making it safer.
Yelwa also revealed that the federal government has removed snags on River Niger from Kebbi to Niger State, even as he said the gesture will extend to other areas within the commission’s jurisdiction.
“These are tree trucks, stones and other impediments that hamper movements and sometimes cause accidents on waterways,” he explained.
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