Steve Agbota, [email protected] 08033302331
With 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and possessing a land area of 924000skm with an estimated population of about 200 million, Nigeria is blessed with a coastline of about 870km and about 3000 kilometer of inland waterways. The country currently has six major ports (Tincan Island, Apapa, Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne and Calabar) and 10 crude oil terminals (Escarvos, Bonny, Sapele, Forcados, Tuma, Okrika, FOT, among others. It also has a vast network of navigable and potentially navigable rivers, lakes, and creeks, which make water transportation a potential revenue earner and job creator for the country.
Regrettably, the huge benefits of its inland water transport business have remained untapped due to policy inconsistency and limited private sector involvement among other factors.
In the maritime space, the movement of goods and services along inland waterways is one of the oldest means of transportation from point A to point B. This is because inland water transport offers the most cost-effective, energy proficient and environmentally- friendly means of transporting all types of cargo from one place to another.
Conversely, inland water transport offers safer and cheaper rates in areas where water exist naturally. This fast-tracks commerce, wealth creation, alleviates poverty, and creates job opportunities for youths. Despite the enormous benefits to the economy, inland water transport in Nigeria has had a long history of neglect by both government and the Nigerian private sector.
However, most countries where waters exist naturally have developed their inland waterways and they are now making revenue from their inland water transportation. For instance, the American inland, intra-coastal and coastal waterways and channels accommodate about 3,008 businesses and 24,908 employees to earn a whopping $8 billion annually.
More than 60 per cent of America’s grain exports, about 22 per cent of domestic petroleum products and 20 per cent of the coal used in electricity generation are ferried through America’s water transportation system.
In over 60 years of existence, Nigeria’s inland waterways is yet to get to this level because the growth of water transport and other ancillary businesses have been impeded by numerous obstacles including some illegal structures built on the inland waterways. Even, recently, Managing Director, National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) Dr. George Moghalu, expressed dismay over the spate of abuse of nation’s waterways, including putting up structures along right of ways. He warned those responsible to dismantle such structures or have them pulled down.
Stakeholders in the maritime sector have urged the new NIWA administration to ensure the safety of the nation’s inland waterways by engaging private sector and other key players in the industry.
Though, Moghalu has identified the opportunities abound in the nation’s waterways, water transportation system and has identified the obstacles surrounding those opportunities.
To develop the Nigerian Inland Waterways for economic growth, Moghalu said NIWA has begun moves to upgrade its facilities and strengthen safety standards with a view to sanitising water transportation on the nation’s waterways.
According to him, boats and water vessels that do not have permits issued by the authority would soon not be allowed to move in Nigeria’s inland waterways. He explained that the move was part of efforts to make water transportation safer and a preferred choice for travelers in the shortest possible time in the country.
Speaking at the NIWA’s operational base in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, he said all boats using the waterways would have to meet safety standards. He said NIWA is going to play clearly its regulatory roles very strictly.
He warned: “We are going to enforce the use of permits before boats can enter the waterways because we cannot allow rickety vessels to waste the lives of Nigerians.
We are now clearing water debris and hyacinth in some of our channels and we are doing the much we can to standardise process, having clear data of those who operate on our waterways.
He said that the authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with a firm to provide lifejackets across all water formations in Nigeria as part of efforts to safeguard the lives of Nigerians on the waterways.
He stated that NIWA has started clearing water debris and water hyacinth on some of its channels and have started training processes in some of its locations.
He lamented that the nation was losing a lot because people know very little about NIWA and inland water transportation, promising to make NIWA known to the public.
While inspecting the facilities at the Yenagoa base of NIWA office, Moghalu noted the dilapidated state of MIWA facilities were inimical to the security of the base.
“Several serviceable boats, including passenger and gunboats, had been left to rot away at the base, while most of the perimeter fence had collapsed. The ceiling in the main office had collapsed and the roof was leaking.”
He, however, promised that the authority would do everything possible to support the Bayelsa area base to recover and meet its targets.
While speaking at the second sensitisation and awareness seminar for maritime stakeholders within the South East zone on “Reforming the Maritime Sector in Onitsha Priority Areas, Potential Projects and the Way Forward,” urged those who built illegal structures on the waterways to pull them down immediately.
However, he also advised landlords permitted to build on its Right of Way to pay their outstanding debts or risk their structures being removed from their locations.
He said, “a taskforce has been constituted to carry on with the responsibility, and the era of such anomalies were over. We are putting up a taskforce to start work immediately because there are lots of infringement, we need to know who and who are these people, what authorities are they developing structures on the waterways without the consent and approval of NIWA.
“We will also like to see the permit of those who claim they have because many parade with fake permits. That is why the taskforce has a clear and strong responsibility and they have to deliver on their mandate. It is no longer business as usual. Things must be done properly because I’m accountable, and it would assist in boasting Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of NIWA.”
The NIWA boss further reassured on his preparedness to ensure that the both Onitsha and Baro River ports start functioning. He also expressed concern towards the soon completion of the concessional processes to guarantee their operations.