The Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), has complained about the dangers posed by logs abandoned by timber dealers on the waterways.
The National President of the association; Mr Ganiyu Balogun, said in Lagos that the development was a major threat to navigation and could cause boat mishaps.
Balogun also said that the water hyacinth on the waterways had been hindering their operation.
“This area of transportation has been experiencing a lot of hindrances occasioned by some natural and man-made factors.
The Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), has complained about the dangers posed by logs abandoned by timber dealers on the waterways.
The National President of the association; Mr Ganiyu Balogun, said in Lagos that the development was a major threat to navigation and could cause boat mishaps.
Balogun also said that the water hyacinth on the waterways had been hindering their operation.
“This area of transportation has been experiencing a lot of hindrances occasioned by some natural and man-made factors.
“ These factors are water hyacinth and abandoned logs by timber dealers along the water channels.
“This had several times resulted in boat mishaps which also had caused loss of lives and other valuables", he said.
Balogun said that abandoned logs had made it difficult for members of the association to operate their boats effectively.
He called on the state government to render assistance to the association by addressing the problems, adding that it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that the waterways were free.
“If something urgently is not done by the regulatory bodies on the sides of state and local governments, this could put us out of operation.
“It can also have adverse effect on the nation’s economy,’’ he said.
He said water transportation was an area of the economy that could not be neglected by any responsible government as it could generate huge employment.
Discussion about this post