The Federal Government has said it would sign an agreement to secure technology for monitoring and securing the nation’s inland waterways from South Africa, and that it could help because of the type of technology available and being deployed in other viable economies.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), George Moghalu, disclosed this on Thursday at the weekly Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Moghalu said that the Authority can monitor the movement of vessels anywhere in the waterways with the technology as being done in South Africa.
He said the South African firm whose name he did not reveal, exchanged visits with NIWA and the authority informed them of the challenges faced in their effort to provide security on Nigeria’s waterways.
According to the NIWA boss, the company affirmed that they could help because of the type of technology available, which is currently being deployed in South Africa.
Moghalu said: “We visited them and they visited us and we now presented our challenge because we want to be in a position to monitor all our waterways and they have the technology.
“There is a technology they are going to deploy so that I will be in the control room in Lokoja and be able to monitor all the vessels that operate in our waterways,” he said.
He revealed that despite talks of insecurity, survey has commenced on Lake Chad to open it up as an inland water transportation hub to access other African countries.
“The fact that the survey is ongoing is an indication that insecurity prevailing in the region has been sufficiently addressed,” he said.
He said NIWA has been working in collaboration with the Nigeria Navy for the project.
National Inland Waterways Authority’s boss revealed that over 65 percent of cargo coming into Nigeria through the Lagos port end up in Onitsha and Aba in Southeast.
He also said that everything is in place for the movement of Cargo in Onitsha River Port even though he explained that it is the owner of the cargo that will determine the movement.
Moghalu, who provided updates on the agency’s activities, however noted that the current road network infrastructure cannot withstand the sheer volume of traffic required to move cargo from the southeast to other parts of the country.
This, he said, necessitated recent efforts by NIWA to provide water inroads to the northern part of the country.
He said that water transportation would help to reduce the weight of the heavy duty traffic on the roads and also generate revenue for the country.
Moghalu also lamented the menace of floating debris in vital waterways.
He said the authority spends a fortune annually to rid the waterways of nonbiodegradable wastes such as plastic and rubber.
He was however silent on the specific amount NIWA has spent in clearing the waterways.
The NIWA chief also said that work has commenced at the Oguta River Port which he said was abandoned for 13 years, adding that perimeter fence has been erected at the place and the port now segmented.
Speaking on the the efforts being made to improve security within the Waterways, the Managing Director said that NIWA Police Command was established in 2003, adding that the Command has twenty three subcommands within the Authority’s Area Offices across the nation.
Moghalu explained that laying of Navigational and Marker Buoys, removal of wrecks and derelicts as well as maintenance dredging in Port Harcourt, and have provided armoured patrol boats to protect the Command from attack during operations
He said that survey and Charting of the Lower Rivers Niger and Benue by NIWA and the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic office, promoted by a company Sealinks Promotional Company Limited and funded by the NEXIMBank.
“We have provided Jetty at Tin-Can Island in collaboration with the Ecological Fund Offic and trained 20 NIWA’s engineers and technicians by Yamaha Motors of Japan on the repair/maintenance of Yamaha outboard engines.
“Construction work at Lokoja River Port at Jamata, Kogi State has resumed and we have successful concessionee Onitsha River Port to Universal Elysium Consortium Limited.”
The agency’s boss stressed that they have been aggressively enforcing Inland Waterways Transportation Code to ensure safety on the Inland Waterways.
He disclosed that discussion was ongoing with telecommunication companies to provide services across the length and breath of Nigeria’s Inland Waterways, saying, it would greatly improve the provision of security and safety within the waterways
Moghalu said that they have also Automated the security network on the Waterways to monitor activities and to provide effective response to security challenges, while providing light houses along the waterways to guide ships or to warn them of danger.
According to him, the Authority has between 2015-2016 did shore protection works at Marine Base Waterfront, Asaba in Delta State and Ndoni Waterfront in Rivers State; maintained dredging within River Niger in Kelebe in Kogi State and Umaisha Waterfront River Benue in Nasarawa State; and dredging of the River Nun Navigation Channel at Angoloma/Sabama crossing River State.
He said they have installed Automatic Guage and discharge measurement on River Niger at Onitsha, Anambra State; and extension of jetty landing platform and construction of shore protection works at reinforced concrete jetty, Ogurugu in Enugu State amongst others.
On strategies for improving the navigability of prioritized Inland Waterways Channels, the NIWA Managing Director said, Ports and Jetties at terminal facilities; partnership with private sector on the channel management was made.
Moghalu also disclosed that NIWA has begun discussion with relevant partners both local and foreign investors for channel management in line with international best Practices; acquisition of Dredgers for Maintenance Dredging NIWA was in the process to increase its fleet of dredgers for in-house maintenance of routes/channels to cut cost for government.
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