FG Tasks NIWA on Delivery

The Federal Government has tasked the management of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on the delivery of its mandate. This includes the dredging of River Niger, concession of Onitsha River Port, and the construction of new river ports across the country. It also tasked the authority which has its headquarters in the Kogi State capital, Lokoja on the completion of the river ports situated in Baro, Lokoja and Oguta before the end of President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration.

Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi stated this at the 2017 NIWA International Conference and Exhibition with the theme “Improving Navigability and Inland Port Development for Sustainable Investment on Nigerian Waterways”, which took place in Lagos.

Amaechi who explained that budgetary appropriations have been made to ensure the completion of the Baro, Lokoja and Oguta River ports urged the private sector to maximally utilised the network of rivers, creeks, lagoons and lakes in the country.

He enjoined the NIWA to procure bigger dredgers in order to perform better in its operational activities.

Continuing, Amaechi said: “Similarly, adequate budgetary appropriations have been made to ensure the completion of the Baro, Lokoja and Oguta River ports within the lifespan of this administration. I am pleased to confirm that we have recorded tremendous progress on the concessioning of Onitsha River Port and we are very hopeful that the process of concessioning of the port will be completed before the end on the year. I am happy to announce that NIWA, especially under its new leadership, has been able to look inward and through its in-house engineers, have commenced the maintenance dredging of the Ajaokuta to Onitsha channels of River Niger; and this will save the country huge sums of money.

“Thus I implore NIWA to procure bigger dredgers that have bigger capacity to perform better than they are doing presently. Another area that should earn our commendations on the activities of NIWA is the progress recorded over the amendment of the NIWA bill at the National Assembly. The bill has gone through third reading at the Senate and it is hoped that the House of Representatives will also support and endorse the new bill, which in essence will enhance the capacity of NIWA to enforce her rules and regulations, resolve the present crisis with her sister parastatals and other government agencies, and boost the revenue profile of the Authority in order to make it self-sustaining.