Transport Minister Inaugurates Committee On Inland Waterways

Minister of Transport, Senator Idris A. Umar has again stated the commitment of the Federal Government to developing the nation’s Inland Water Transport System into a cheaper, safer, more efficient and seamless mode of international standard that provides alternative and complimentary services to other modes of transportation in Nigeria.
The minister stated this at the weekend while inaugurating the committee for the Development of Inland Water Transport System in Nigeria.

Minister of Transport, Senator Idris A. Umar has again stated the commitment of the Federal Government to developing the nation’s Inland Water Transport System into a cheaper, safer, more efficient and seamless mode of international standard that provides alternative and complimentary services to other modes of transportation in Nigeria.
The minister stated this at the weekend while inaugurating the committee for the Development of Inland Water Transport System in Nigeria.
 He charged the committee to provide historical background of Inland Water Transport (IWT) in Nigeria, identify all navigable rivers and creeks in Nigeria, including their roles and potentials for inland water transportation in Nigeria.
The committee, which is under the chairmanship of the director of maritime services in the ministry, Mohammed Nagogo was also tasked to prioritize the rivers and creeks for revitalization based on their economic viability and also identify factors inhibiting sustainable inlands water transportation in Nigeria and proffer solutions for them.
It also expected to embark on visitation to the communities engaged in inland waterways transportation with a view to identifying the challenges faced by those communities, and proffer measures of mitigating them.
The committee which draws its membership drawn from the private sector, officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) as well as some officials of federal and state ministries of transport, is also expected to   identify the ingredients for eliciting private sector-led participation in inland water transportation in Nigeria.