NIWA Vows To Put All Inland Waterways To Use

The Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, will spare no effort towards putting all waterways in the country to use to reduce pressure on Nigeria roads and airports.

The Managing director of NIWA, Dr George Moghalu stated this during an interactive session with members of the Kogi state council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ in Lokoja.

“We want the rivers transportation to be the number one transportation system on the movement of cargoes and passengers post COVID era.

“The damage done to our roads through the movement of large cargoes is alarming. If those cargoes are moved through the water, it will make the roads last longer.

“We want to put more ferries on our waterways, open up the channel, and trade. NIWA will play a key role in ensuring the effect of the pandemic on national lives is reduced to the barest minimum.”

Moghalu said in a bid to encourage patronage of the country’s waterways, NIWA would reduce reduce tariff across the country’s inland waterways as parts of its contribution towards revamping the economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, “Apart from putting measures in place to improve patronage of the country’s waterways, the reduction in tariff will serve as our own contribution to efforts of the Federal and state governments in revamping the economy, suffering as a result of the rampaging Covid19.

“We are considering a reduction on tariffs payable on our waterways to encourage patronage and serve as our own contribution towards efforts to improve the economy after the Covid19.

“The country’s waterways is grossly underutilised as only three thousand out of the ten thousand waterways in the country are being put to use.”

Moghalu further revealed that contract of the Lokoja port located at Jamata, has been reviewed from N4,112,346,572.26 to N6,405,698,402.62 with the same contractor to handle and promised that the agency will complete the port as scheduled.