AT Last ; Supreme Court Verdicts In Favour Of NIWA Over LASWA
The battle of who regulates all activities on Nigerian inland waterways between Lagos state government and the Federal government came to an end on Friday in Abuja as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the federal government and its inland Waterways regulatory agency, National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA).
Honourable Justice okoro, in a landmark judgment delivered January 5th, 2024, validated an earlier Federal High Court ruling, FHC/CS/ 543/ 2012, which pronounced NIWA as the authentic authority over Nigerian inland waterways and advised Lagos state government and its agencies and any other states in the country to stay away from regulatory activities on Nigerian inland waterways.
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Justice okoro held that any attempt to compete over regulatory and commercial functions with niwa on Nigerian inland waterways will amount to pursuing resource control, which constitutionally rests with the federal government of Nigeria.
Recall that the dispute between National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State over the control of waterways came to an end in 2019 after both parties signed an agreement of cooperation.
Officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority were led by the then Managing Director, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, for the ratification of the treaty at the office of the Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The treaty guaranteed a better working relationship between NIWA and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
The row over the control of waterways surrounding Lagos started more than 10 years ago between NIWA and LASWA, with both parties locking horns in a protracted legal battle. With the new agreement, both parties will had a joint responsibility to ensure safety, harmonise tariffs and monitor regulations on the waterways.
After signing the agreement, Sen. Mamora said the agreement was signed in good faith and in the best interest of the people. Governor Sanwo-Olu said the development implied the unlocking of investment in water transportation, which is one of the cardinal projects of his administration.
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