The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has commenced the process of developing Jabi Lake into a major tourism and recreation center.
The project, which aims to boost tourism with world class facilities like boat cruises, water sports, and hospitality services among others, will be carried out through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
LEADERSHIP investigation showed that the project is expected to also serve as a source of revenue generation and job creation for this government; in addition to positioning Abuja as a major tourist destination and conserving foreign exchange spent on international travel.
The managing director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, stated these in Abuja on Thursday after inspecting the waterbody and the lake facilities.
He said the project was part of NIWA’s broader strategy to develop Nigeria’s inland waterways for economic benefits, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda and the current development in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, “We are here today to develop, to add value, and to modernize our right-of-way of Jabi Lake, which of course is one of the assets of the federal government by the Inland Waterways. We are going to collaborate with other agencies to see that this place is developed to a world standard. This is in line with the hope agenda of Mr. President and at the same time, it is in line with the beautiful work of the Honorable Minister of FCT. We are partnering with a private enterprise to make sure that we develop this place to a tourist center, world class, that it can be compared with any other one in the world.”
Speaking on the time frame of the project, the NIWA boss said “We are going to start immediately after due collaborations with other agencies. We are going to see a very good tourist center that can be compared with anyone else in the world. That’s what we are going to do.”
On the proposed investors or partners, Oyebamiji said “We have gotten two or three partners; three companies that are going to serve as a private enterprise but you know that we have a procurement process. We are going to do that. But there is still an opportunity for people to come in. We are open to another private enterprise that is serious.
“As soon as we start the process, we will be able to determine whether it is three years, whether it is two years, whether it is three months for the completion.”
