The Inland Waterways and Environment Safety Forum in Nigeria has expressed readiness to assist the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) with importation of 32 fibre boats to be used as water taxis.
President of the association, Abayomi Mukandas told Shipping Position Daily, yesterday that the association is equally ready to deploy its expertise in order to help with reducing accidents on the inland waterways.
Mukandas suggested that one of the ways by which government can reduce accident on the waterways is to create a reward system for compliance with laid down guidelines on water transportation.
"NIWA can reduce boat accident in Nigerian waters by demonstrating leadership through dissemination of water taxi safety guidelines, training and retraining of operators with tools, as well as regular and bi annual boat survey"
Other steps according to him includes enforcement and disciplinary actions against boat operators violation of regulations and waterways code, removal of pollutants from seabed and surface and to discourage night operations.
Mukandas, a marine surveyor of ships with NIMASA and Ports Security/Safety Automation Specialist urged government to "Provide funding windows for acquisition of standard fibre boats and to encourage volunteers to handle sea divers, boat maintenance"
He said "We call it water taxi in Europe, but in Nigeria, we call it ferries. If NIWA can guarantee the ferry or water taxi operators in Nigeria, my partner from middle east will provide 28 or 32-passengers standard fibre boats"
"What need to be done right now is to engage us to conduct critical audit of existing Infrastructure and recommend solutions going forward".
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