By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

In a move to transform Nigeria’s water transportation system, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the National Assembly, have joined forces to chart a new course for ferry transportation.

Vanguard reports that the move aims to boost efficiency, accessibility, and safety in the country’s waterways, promoting a shift toward greener transportation options and alleviate the burden on dilapidated roads.

The move was known made when the Managing Director of NIWA, George Moghalu, hosted members of the House of Representatives on a fact-finding visit, on Monday, in Abuja.

Speaking on the development, Dr. Moghalu, highlighted the importance of water transportation and its potential to ease traffic congestion and reduce carbon emissions, emphasizing that investing in ferry transportation would not only benefit commuters but also contribute to achieving Nigeria’s sustainable development goals.

He said water transportation, if properly harnessed, can help Nigerians access about 28 states of the 36 states in Nigeria.

“If all our channels are open, you can access 28 of our 36 states by water. When I came into office, I made it a point that there is every need for us to open up our waterways so that we can move people and cargo by water. Our road infrastructure is not designed to carry the weight they are carrying.

“If for example you take the statistics you will know that 60 per cent of the containers that arrived in this country, either in Lagos or in Port Harcourt ends in the Southeast and what that means is that if for example, we have 2 million or 3 million containers coming and going to the Southeast, what that translates to is that 6 million trailers will be on the road: 3 million carrying their container and 3 million carrying empty and our roads are not designed to carry such weight.

“And the earlier we remove this burden on our roads and move them into the water, we save our road infrastructure and save resources that could be used for something else. So, the idea, the initiative, the effort of the National Assembly, to lay a strong emphasis because for the National Assembly to have created an ad hoc committee to look at this issue goes to show the importance you attach to it. There is a need to develop that sector.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee Investigating Failures of Federal Mass Transit Schemes, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, among other things, said the need to develop waterways transportation was informed by the need to reduce the current economic hard realities occasioned by removal of the fuel subsidy.

“Any responsive and responsible government knows that when you tamper with the price of a major commodity like petrol or petroleum products generally, in a country such as ours, you will have to find a way of ameliorating the sufferings of the working people of the country and the residents of the country and so the government in its wisdom, began early enough to tinker with palliatives to bring about easing the pains.

“As we speak a whole lot of funds are out there. The last scheme, which took off in 2010 the government put in 10 billion naira and in 2012, another 15 billion naira was put in but as we speak the infrastructure bank that was mandated to manage the scheme is still chasing beneficiaries for repayment as much as over 14 billion naira is still outstanding.

“But, as a committee we have also decided to cast our nets far and wide. We have about 10,000 kilometers of waterways, 3800 of which are navigable. Why are we not able to have efficient and workable water transportation across the country? Why are we not able to have an inland rail system? The previous government tried in the area of rail transportation, at least before the security challenges you know that put a halt to that between Abuja and Kaduna.

“But if we develop metro rails just like a sub-national like Lagos, who launched the blue line and are looking forward towards launching the red line that will take in much more people. We thought that NIWA is a critical stakeholder in this assignment that we are undertaking. So, I think that NIWA should be a critical beneficiary of any further scheme, any further mass transportation scheme. Whether in terms of regulating even ferry services.

“Every now and then we hear of boat accidents, if it is not happening in Adamawa, Niger State if it is not happening in Lokoja, in River state and the likes. Even in Ubaru, Anambra State where I come from we have also recorded mishaps. But, I think that with a well regulated ferry transportation, it will even boost tourism, beyond the movement of people people would like to travel by water once the facilities are available.”