Minister of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has charged the National Inward Waterways Authority (NIWA) to procure bigger dredgers to ensure a more effective maintenance of the nation’s waters.
The Minister who spoke yesterday at the 2017 NIWA International Conference and Exhibition in Lagos also commended the agency for the progress recorded in the amendment of NIWA Bill at the National Assembly.
The Minister also announced that NIWA under its new leadership has been able to look in-ward and has commenced the maintenance dredging of Abeokuta to Onitsha channels of River Niger.
Speaking during the event, he said also applauded NIWA for unveiling the aquatic wed harvester (FX-IIB) and the vegetative cutter (AVC)- swamp devils 1,11 and 111 which he said will go a long way in clearing water hyacinth on our waterways and enhance navigation especially in the Southern part of the country.
"I am happy to announce that NIWA, especially under its new leadership, has been able to look inward and through their in-house engineers have commenced the maintenance dredging of the Abeokuta to Onitsha channels of River Niger and this will save the country huge sums of money. In the coming year, we will make budget for NIWA so that they will acquire new dredgers to be able to be dredging our waters, "he concluded.
“Another area that should earn our commendations on the activities of NIWA is the progress recorded over the amendment of the NIWA Bill at the National Assembly. The bill has gone through third reading at the Senate and it is hoped that the House of Representatives will also support and endorse the new bill, which in essence will enhance the capacity of NIWA to enforce her rules and regulations, resolve the present crisis with her sister parastatals and other government agencies, and boost the revenue profile of the Authority in order to make it self-sustaining”, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said that he agency has commissioned an in-house project team to embark on a continuous dredging of the entire waterways in Nigeria.
According to him, another focus of the conference is to encourage government and stakeholders to strengthen the desired machinery towards driving the benefits of investment in coastal and inland shipping operations on the Nigerian waterways.
He maintained that the idea was aimed at sweeping silts and deepening the waterways for smooth navigation.
Mr. Mustapha also said that NIWA has scheduled to complete the construction and installation of cargo handling equipment at the Baro port, Lokoja port, Oguta port and a number of jetties and landing platforms in many communities along the waterways this year.
Discussion about this post