There are hopes of a safer waterway around Lagos after the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on Friday commenced the removal of wrecks from three major maritime arteries around the commercial capital, namely Ibeshe, Owode, and Ijora.
Speaking after inspecting the removal sites in Lagos on Friday, Sarat Braimah, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, said that NIWA has identified human error and wrecks as the two major reasons why boat mishaps are happening in Lagos.
According to Braimah, Kirikiri to Badagry axis has been left out to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to handle.
“That was why we started the training of boat skippers aimed at addressing the issue of human error leading to boat mishaps on our waterways. Now, we have decided to commence the removal of wrecks in three locations along the Lagos waterways. We are starting today with Ijora. By next week, we will move to Owode and Ibeshe axis to remove wrecks to enable free movement,” she said.
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According to her, NIWA has carried out survey analysis of the wrecks and the reports have long been submitted.
She said the wreck removal will last for the next three months.
“From the survey analysis report, we have abandoned dredgers and old ferries underneath the water and constituting wrecks for waterways users. One of the wrecks underneath the water is a 100-passenger capacity ferry. So, you can see that survey analysis has already revealed to us what we are expected to remove, and the removal process will commence today,” she said.
She added that the Badagry area is close to the routes where ocean-going vessels pass through when coming to the ports, which was why it was agreed that NIMASA should handle that area.
