NIWA Threatens To Arrest Vessel Operators Without Navigational Aids, Frowns At Night Operations

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on Friday , threatened to  ban  vessel operators without navigational aids from  plying the nation”s waterways, even as it has frowned at night and early in the morning operations.

 

The waterways regulatory agency said it discovered that most of the accidents on the waterways occur during the aforementioned period , hence the need to warn the operators to possess all  necessary safety apparatus onbaord vessels.

 

Speaking at a stakeholders forum put together by the agency, its Managing Director  Dr. George Moghalu hinted that he had given directive to arrest boat drivers who are not certified as well as impound such vessels.

 

Moghalu also noted that the authority had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an American company to supply life jackets to all  jetties in the country, adding that the move was  part of efforts to guarantee safety of boat operators and commuters in waterways transportation in the country.

 

Harping on safety navigation by commuters and operators, he maintained that the NIWA is working towards acquiring ambulances that will be deployed to moving accident victims along the waterways, noting that NIWA is working round the clock to build more jetties across the coastline in furtherance to expand its operations.

 

His words, “A few weeks back, we signed a memorandum of understanding with an American company that is going to supply life jackets to all jetties in this country and they are working on it now.

 

“We want to make it a crime for you to board any of our vessels in any of our jetties without being properly kitted.

 

“I have also issued a directive to our marine department emphasising th3 fact that we are a regulatory agency. We want to make it an offence for you to use any vessel that is not certified, without a permit on any waterway.

 

“We will impound it if we see it and we have given that directive to our offices.

 

The Managing Director further explained that efforts are in top gear to remove debris, water hyacinth and ship wrecks from the waterways pointing out that rickety boats would soon fizzle out form waterways transportation.

 

“We have gone a step further to criminalise the process of a non certified boat drivers operating on our waterways.

 

“For us to be on the side of fairness and justice, pur training school both in Lagos and Warri, we are finetuning them so that they can be fully functional so that no one will give us the excuse they they are not properly trained or they don’t have a facility where they can be trained.

 

“We have also placed a ban on vessels that have no navigational aid, they should not be allowed to ply the waterways in the night or early in the morning,” he stated.

By Roland Ekama