News – National Inland Waterways Authority

October 14, 2019 / By admin / News/ niwa md/ 0 Comments

“Waterways can reduce burden on Nigerian Roads” – NIWA MD

When fully developed, Nigeria’s waterways have the capacity to reduce the burden on the nation’s roads, the New MD George Moghalu, has said.

Moghalu, who was recently appointed as the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), said the waterways also have the capacity to generate millions of jobs and open up communities across the country.

The MD expressed concern that majority of Nigerians were unaware of the capacity of the agency, which he attributed it to lack of publicity for its activities.

NIWA demolishes shanties & illegal structures around Iddo waterfront in Lagos

The Lagos Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has pulled down shanties and illegal structures along the Lagos waterways channel in Iddo waterfront to secure the area for navigation.According to NIWA Area Manager for Lagos, Engineer Sarat Lara Braimah, while speaking during the demolishing exercise at the weekend, “The development is sequel to petitions and reports of unwholesome activities and presence of suspected pirates who hide in the shanties where they plan and launch attacks against legal occupants of waterfront facilities, not excluding leaving behind fishing nets on the waterways to takedown boats and vessels transporting goods across the channel.”

George Moghalu resumes duty as NIWA MD

The newly appointed Managing Director (MD) of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Chief Dr George Moghalu has resumed office and promised to continue with all ongoing viable and justifiable projects of the Agency as long they conform to due process and the Act establishing the Agency.

The MD stated this while delivering his speech at NIWA headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State.

He noted that the overall policy objectives of NIWA is transforming the Inland Waterways to make them not just economically viable but also to provide a safe, reliable and alternate transport system to ease the problem of transportation and movement of goods across the country which makes the Agency and important and strategic one, placing on our a huge responsibility from which so much is expected.

“Inland Waterways system is a critical component of the national freight system, particularly for movement of bulk commodities. In view of the growing transportation needs particularly in moving bulk commodities, our country dearly needs diversification and development of its critical infrastructures in the area of Waterways transportation,” he said.

July 31, 2019 / By admin / News/ lagos state/ 0 Comments

NIWA signs MOU with Lagos State to end Waterways dispute

The dispute between National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Lagos State over the control of waterways came to an end on Monday after both parties signed an agreement of cooperation.

Officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority were led by Managing Director, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, for the ratification of the treaty at the office of the Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The treaty will guarantee 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 now have 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.

June 25, 2019 / By admin / News/ 0 Comments

NIWA appeals to maritime operators over unpaid dues

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has appealed to maritime operators to remit their relevant dues to the authority to enhance service delivery.

The Warri Area Manager of NIWA, Mr Shaba Afeso made the appeal on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Warri.

Afeso said that a lot of the authority’s clients were not responding properly in terms of remittance of their dues.

According to him, though the authority is committed to providing good services to its clients, that will only be possible when the maritime operators pay their dues promptly.

“We are appealing that our clients should pay up their relevant dues to the authority so that we can serve them better and also contribute our quota to the economy.

“Most of our clients have no reason not to comply with payment, we appreciate their challenges but they should also appreciate our challenges too,’’ Afeso said.

According to him, the dues include, the use of jetties, registration of any kind of vessel plying the Nigeria waterways.

“Others are dues in respect of dredging, Well head cleaning, drilling, installation of Well head, use of right of way, registration of water equipment among others,” he added.

The NIWA chief also identified the abandonment of wrecked vessels and badges on the waterways as another major challenge the authority is contending with.

Afeso said the authority had made public announcement through mass media in Delta, urging owners of the wrecked vessels to evacuate them but to no avail.

“We have informed our clients through radio, television and newspapers in Delta that they should remove their wreckages and we gave them an ultimatum that elapsed in May.

“We made them to know that when we remove the wreckages for them, it will automatically become the properties of the government.

“In the interest of peace, we are still appealing that they should go and remove their wreckages. We have our own checklist of the owners,” he said.

Afeso advised the owners to apply to NIWA for verification of ownership of the wreckages, adding that once it was certified, the owner could proceed and evacuate it from the waterways.

He warned that any that any attempt to circumvent the procedure would attract appropriate sanctions as provided by law.

Source: The Guardian