Jetty Operators To Get 130 Boats On Hire Purchase

The Delta Government has said that it will soon inaugurate 130 boats for commercial operation in the water ways and will give them out to jetty operators on hire purchase arrangement.
The State Commissioner of Transport, Mr Benson Igbakpa, disclosed the plan at a meeting with the jetty operators in Asaba on Monday.
Igbakpa said that the boats would be released to the operators after they must have paid the first installment of N1 million per boat.
According to the commissioner, big boats cost N7 million each, while the small boats cost N6.2 million each.

The Delta Government has said that it will soon inaugurate 130 boats for commercial operation in the water ways and will give them out to jetty operators on hire purchase arrangement.
The State Commissioner of Transport, Mr Benson Igbakpa, disclosed the plan at a meeting with the jetty operators in Asaba on Monday.
Igbakpa said that the boats would be released to the operators after they must have paid the first installment of N1 million per boat.
According to the commissioner, big boats cost N7 million each, while the small boats cost N6.2 million each.
He said the operators were expected to remit to the ministry N100,000 monthly after the payment of the first installment.

Igbakpa said that the smaller boats would convey 16 passengers at a time, while the bigger boats could convey 24 passengers at a time.
He said the boats were not national cakes and urged the operators to imbibe the spirit of remittance.
He said that working with water ways was quite difficult and if the operators could remit monthly, it would encourage the government to do more.
The commissioner said that Delta was the first state in the country to invest so much on water transport, and gave the assurance that the boats would be fairly distributed to the operators.
Mr Patrick Asain, one of the operators, thanked the state governor for the intervention and assistance.
He, however, appealed to the governor to review the price of the boats downward to enable the operators meet up with the payment.
Asain said water transport was a bit risky and that the only thing that would attract people was the monetary aspect.