Determined to engender confidence among water transportation operators and users, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has sited and inspected the navigational buoys located from Marina to Ikorodu waterway in Lagos.
Speaking after the inspection in Lagos recently, George Moghalu, managing director, said the authority will leave no stone unturned in the quest to ensure accident-free water transportation in the country.
According to him, safety on waterways as a major mandate of NIWA will be pursued with vigour in order to engender confidence among water transportation operators and users and to also attract local and foreign investment.
Moghalu noted that the Lagos template is geared towards activating a national water transportation safety architecture that will further help in emergency rescue operations and provide distressed boats with an anchor before help arrives, thus eliminating incidences of crafts drifting on mid waters.
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Accompanied by Sarat Lara Braimah, Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, and Ganiyu Tarzan Balogun, president, Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Moghalu assured that NIWA will not fail in its responsibilities to enthrone accident free water transportation signature across littoral states in Nigeria.
On his part, Ganiyu Balogun thumped up the NIWA initiative, saying that Moghalu is a man of his words and should be trusted to make water transportation safe and attractive for all users.
“At the last stakeholders meeting last year in Lagos, Moghalu promised to ensure a navigable Lagos waterways through provision of buoys which would not only serve as an anchor point for distressed boats but will help provide access and geographical location to rescue efforts. Today, we have seen that promise fulfilled and we say more grease to his elbows,” Balogun stated.
