NIWA vows to enforce safety on waterways

— commissions three patrol boats; inaugurates waterways task force

Segun Oladipupo

The Managing Director of NIWA, George Moghalu has vowed that the agency is ready to take charge of operations on the Nigerian waterways.

He stated this on Thursday while commissioning three patrol boats for waterways monitoring on Lagos state.

He also inaugurated task force members that would be trained in the art of monitoring the waterways for regulations of boat operators to curtail the menace of boat mishaps happening on the waterways.

According to him, over 20 patrol boats were purchased by the authority to be distributed across the nation’s waterways.

He said the task force whose training would begin on October 4, would be responsible for regulating movement of boats.

According to him, the major causes of accidents on the waterways are night travels and overloading which he specifically stated that the task force would work to eliminate

“Setting up of enforcement to make our waterways safe is something we have to do urgently.

“We have procured about 20 patrol boats, three to Lagos, others will be deployed to other places where we have waterways; two ambulances have already been procured. It will be brought to Lagos.

“I get worried over death of passengers who are our brothers, sisters and relatives during boat accidents.

“Most of the accidents occur in the night and there is no night navigational aids. Again, most accidents are caused by overloading.”

He stated that enforcement would not be limited to jetties controlled by NIWA alone but any other jetty on the waterways, even as he assured the task force of the support of the agency.