The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has promised the federal government’s commitment to purchasing new boats as part of a nationwide effort to modernize Nigeria’s water transportation system.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines on the ongoing validation of the draft national policy of the Marine and Blue Economy in Lagos on Tuesday, Oyetola emphasized that the purchase of new, safer boats is crucial for phasing out the rickety and outdated vessels that have long been a safety hazard on the waterways.
The minister also stressed the importance of collaboration with state governments, encouraging them to actively participate in the process of purchasing boats and enhancing water transport infrastructure within their regions. He pointed out that while the federal government would play a central role, states with coastal boundaries must also invest in modernizing their water transport systems.
Oyetola further highlighted that water transportation offers distinct advantages over road transport, including faster, safer, and congestion-free movement. The minister’s remarks follow a state-led meeting organized by the United Nations (UN) with state commissioners of transportation, where he urged state governments to work together with the federal government to make water transportation a key part of Nigeria’s transport network.
“We are committed to buying boats that will assist in transportation, and the goal is that 60% of the boats purchased will be ideal, meeting high safety and operational standards. “Water transportation is faster, safer, and better. We don’t have any traffic when it comes to water transportation,” Oyetola explained, emphasizing the potential of the sector to drive economic growth and improve mobility across the country.
Recall that the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) Mr Bola Oyebamiji had noted that the agency would prevail on the Federal Government to phase-out wooden boats on the inland waterways.
Oyebamiji noted that the phasing-out of wooden boats would help to curb incessant boat crashes on the waterways. According to him, most of the accidents recorded on the waterways are with the wooden boats.
The NIWA Boss described this move as the best approach to address boat crashes across the nation. He said he would be engaging the Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Presidency to make the move a national directive.
“This development will be introduced in phases with short-term, medium-term and long-term goals to ensure inland waterways operations are not severely hampered,” he said.
