In a bid to curb incessant boat accidents, the National Inland Waterways Authority said it will consider phasing out the operations of wooden boats on Nigerian waterways.
The Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji, disclosed this on Friday during a media parley with journalists in Lagos.
Oyebamiji, while describing this move as the best approach to holistically address boat accidents across the nation, asserted that he would be engaging the Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Presidency to make this move a national directive.
“We are considering phasing out wooden boats, especially passenger boats,” Oyebamiji said.
According to him, the development will be introduced in phases with short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals to ensure inland waterways operations are not severely hampered.
Meanwhile, the NIWA boss noted that the authority had increased its sensitisation at riverine communities, especially with traditional and religious leaders, to reinforce grassroots awareness campaigns.
He maintained that after launching the Inland Waterways Transportation Code, the agency moved to engage traditional and religious leaders.
He mentioned that NIWA has subsequently increased the number of waterways marshals from 80 to 350 for the enforcement of the transportation code.
“Our experience in Gbajigbo, Niger State, spurred us to engage the Transportation Commissioners across the 24 states with navigable waterways. We had a meeting in Abuja and 23 out of the 24 commissioners were in attendance,” Oyebamiji stated.
He encouraged state governments with navigable waterways and private sector operators to invest in assets to ensure safety and efficient operations.
He reiterated the need for inland waterways operators to utilize standard life jackets and curb nighttime movements across the nation.
“Wrecks are also one of the triggers for boat accidents but we are partnering with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA to address this menace.
“However, human errors such as overloading, nighttime travel, and inefficient boat driving are more frequent causes of accidents,” Oyebamiji concluded.