The Managing Director/ CEO of NIWA Bola Oyebamiji in a bid to curb the incessant boat mishap on the Inland Waterways has taken a bold step in organising a meeting with riverine state governments and stakeholders in the Maritime sector to collaborate for effective and efficient utilization of the Inland Waterways across the country.

The meeting held on Thursday 24th October 2024 at Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Asokoro, Abuja and was attended by the Commissioners of Transports from the 36 States and FCT, Captains of Industry in the Maritime sector, Boat Owners and Operators, Water Marshalls among other critical stakeholders. Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting, Oyebamiji outlined a series of interventions aimed at addressing safety issues and preventing further mishaps. He said, “In our bid to protect the lives and goods of commuters on the nation’s waterways, we have ensured that the Transportation Code, 2023, was gazetted. “To give a bite to the code, within the last four months, we have launched and increased the number of our water marshals from 80 to 350 personnel to manage major flashpoints across the nation.

“These officers have been directed to begin 24-hour surveillance across major jetties and loading points within the inland waterways.” He stressed the importance of collaboration with states and private organisations to strengthen efforts in ensuring accident-free waterways “The states of the Federation and other critical stakeholders present here all have strategic roles to play if we are to achieve the desired result of keeping our inland waters safe for maximum economic gains,” he added.

NIWA MD reiterated that the illegal use of unregistered crafts, overloading, night sailing, and failure to use life-saving equipment such as life jackets would no longer be tolerated. At the end of the technical session of the meeting, resolutions were presented and adopted for onward implementation.

Stakeholders lauded the initiative by the MD of NIWA and charged him to sustain the tempo.