The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is set to replace old commercial wooden boats plying the nation’s waterways with “fibre-operated boats” to ensure safety of passengers.
NIWA’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Bola Oyebamiji announced this yesterday in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, while addressing reporters on the sidelines of this year’s management retreat of the agency.
The retreat was attended by the agency’s area managers, deputy managers, union leaders, and top security personnel.
Oyebamiji said: “Our main target is to ensure passengers’ safety on our inland waterways. We don’t want boat mishaps again. The focus is not on sanctions but reducing the mishaps to the barest minimum.
“That is why we are replacing the old commercial boats plying our inland waterways with fibre-operated boats. This will become effective anytime from the first to the second quarter. We are also to engage in more advocacy visits to riverine areas with a view to educating residents and other stakeholders more on the safety of water passengers.
“We are also intensifying training for the divers to ensure that our passengers are adequately taken care of.”
The NIWA boss assured the attendees that the agency would make resources available, where required, to ensure that its workers are motivated to put in their best.
