1 month ago
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The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) announced connected Monday that unlicensed drivers and operators are prohibited from operating connected the nation’s inland waterways.
Speaking to journalists during a peculiar property league to code concerns implicit the caller vessel mishap, NIWA’s managing director, Bola Oyebamiji, said NIWA has banned each loading activities from unauthorised points crossed the country.
According to Oyebamiji, lone recognised and registered jetties whitethorn beryllium used. All commercialized operators are mandated to supply lifejackets for passengers, and each vessel indispensable intelligibly show its sanction and load line.
Oyebamiji, who announced a raft of caller measures to fortify information and enforcement crossed Nigeria’s inland waterways, reaffirmed the Authority’s resoluteness to support lives and amended information standards successful marine transportation.
According to him, since the assignment of the existent absorption successful October 2023 by President Bola Tinubu, NIWA has implemented respective far-reaching reforms and initiatives aimed astatine reducing accidents connected the waterways.
The NIWA brag recalled that wrong the archetypal six months of the administration, the long-awaited Water Transportation Code was gazetted and launched to modulate operators, passengers, and users of the waterways.
Within the aforesaid period, the Authority besides inaugurated 15 caller operational assets, including patrol boats, h2o ambulances, survey boats and rider ferries, portion commissioning caller facilities specified arsenic the NIWA Clinic and administrative gathering astatine its office successful Lokoja to amended efficiency. To enforce compliance, the Authority deployed Water Marshals, which person accrued from 80 unit astatine inception to 350 crossed the country.
Passenger information has been enhanced by introducing a manifest strategy astatine recognised jetties to amended record-keeping. Water Marshals besides strictly enforce the “No Lifejacket, No Boarding” regulation. In addition, the Search and Rescue Stations reactivation has reduced NIWA’s exigency effect clip to little than 30 minutes. The Authority has besides taken its information consciousness campaigns to loading points and jetties, reaching much than 300 communities successful 2025 alone. Periodic campaigns successful section languages complement these grassroots engagements connected radio, television, newspapers and integer platforms.
On the method side, Oyebamiji explained that NIWA has intensified transmission attraction for safer navigation. Marine navigational buoys person been installed connected the Lower and Upper Niger, portion hydrographic surveys and profiling person been completed from Warri to Baro Port, covering 624 kilometres. The Authority continues to region aquatic waste, logs and wrecks from waterways to further heighten navigability.
Collaboration with subnational governments has besides been strengthened. In October 2024, NIWA convened a stakeholders’ gathering with authorities proscription commissioners and different maritime stakeholders successful Abuja to deliberate connected measures to destruct vessel accidents. That gathering produced a communique outlining responsibilities for some national and authorities governments. According to the Managing Director, immoderate states person already started acting connected these commitments by providing ferries and lifejackets to their citizens, with Niger State lasting retired arsenic a premier example.
Oyebamiji commended the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, for his unwavering support. In the past 4 months alone, the Ministry has helped NIWA administer implicit 45,000 modular lifejackets crossed 12 states, portion besides starring state-level information campaigns successful Niger and Bayelsa.
Looking ahead, NIWA intends to deepen collaboration with the Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy, particularly successful enforcing the prohibition connected overloading, nighttime sailing betwixt 6 p.m. and 6 am, and compulsory usage of lifejackets. Mr. Oyebamiji disclosed that NIWA’s initiatives person already reduced accidents and deaths connected the waterways by much than 70 per cent compared to erstwhile years, but stressed that much tin inactive beryllium done. He reiterated the Authority’s telephone for establishing Coastal Guards for Inland Waterways, describing it arsenic an indispensable enforcement instrumentality that would importantly fortify NIWA’s information drive.
As portion of contiguous measures, NIWA has placed an outright prohibition connected each loading activities from unauthorised points crossed the country, insisting that lone recognised and registered jetties whitethorn beryllium used. All commercialized operators are mandated to supply lifejackets for passengers, portion each vessel indispensable intelligibly show its sanction and load line. Unlicensed boats and watercraft volition beryllium removed from the waterways, portion unlicensed drivers and operators are prohibited from carrying retired immoderate operations. The Authority has besides called connected riverine states to spouse with NIWA successful information campaigns, grooming of...
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