Transportation Commissioners in Nigeria, under the aegis of the Nigeria Transportation Commissioners’ Forum, have decried the neglect of inland waterways across the country, urging relevant stakeholders to do the needful by giving due and proper attention to the sectors like those of the railway, aviation and road transportation.
Speaking with journalists on the sideline of the one-day consultative forum on safety and security on the inland waterways, organised by the Kwara State Ministry of Works and Transport in collaboration with the Forum of the Nigeria Transportation Commissioners in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the Chairman of the Forum, Engr. Gbenga Dairo called on the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to be alive to its responsibilities.
“The fact is that inland waterways transportation is a neglected area in our country, we have to first accept this fact. There has been a lot of concentration on the railway, aviation and road transportation sectors in the country.
“It’s now time for the same level of concentration and commitment to be placed on water transportation.
“It’s our hope that NIWA especially will be alive to its responsibilities. Those of us who are in the states are willing to work with them and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the waterways are safe for transportation”, he said.
Engineer Dairo, who is also the Ogun state commissioner for Transportation, said that there’s a need to empower local government authorities to ensure that they regulate and monitor activities of the nation’s waterways across local government areas in the country.
“The local governments are important tiers of government and recent changes in the legislation are empowering them to deliver government and public services to the residents in their locality and jurisdiction including transportation.
“So I think local government leaders should take an active role in providing safe public transportation for their residents.
“Most of the waterways are situated in the local riverine communities and local government are the closest to the people. So, if they are empowered, they’ll be able to monitor and regulate the activities because, beyond transportation, there’s a need for security in local communities as farmers move their goods to their various communities using waterways.
“Though there is hope, the truth is that there is a lot to be done to make our water transportation system safer”, he said.
On the forum, themed, “Prevalent Safety, Security Hazards, and Practices in Inland Waterways: Passenger Transport Safety”, Dairo said that the expectation is that the important outcome of the meeting will be a determination to put together a team of people from the federal authorities, including NIWA and the state governments to work together towards establishing memorandum of understanding (MoU) and protocols that will guide and govern the way we relate with one another in the interest of water transportation users across the country.
“We need regulation in all aspects of our water transportation. Operators by their nature are profit-oriented and can compromise safety. But just as we have checks and regulations in our airports, parks and train stations, somebody should be there in the river when the boats are being loaded”.
Also speaking, the NIWA boss, who was represented by Olawale Tijani and acting GM (special duties), Mohamed Dangana, said that the promise to build a Jetty at Patigi, Kwara state, following the recent boat mishaps that claimed about 107 lives last year, has not been abandoned.
“I was actually part of that delegation that came to Kwara State with the MD on this. Jetty is a technical infrastructure and not something you have on the shelf. We need to undergo technical studies of that area and the management has commissioned a team on that. Furthermore, such issues are based on budgetary provisions which have already been taken into consideration”.
In his address delivered by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Shaba Jubril, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara state, said that to curb rising incidents of boat mishaps with massive loss of lives and properties, there should be reforms that include targeted investment, infrastructure upgrade and improved regulation of water travels across the country.
The governor said that the NIWA should take the lead in that regard, adding that the authority should be supported by every stakeholder, including private sector players.
“The theme of this forum, “Prevalent Safety, Security Hazards, and Practices in Inland Waterways: Passenger Transport Safety,” reflects our commitment to addressing the challenges and risks associated with inland water transportation especially with recent Boat mishaps being experienced in our waterways”.
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