– As Area Manager Plead with Stakeholders to adhere to Rules
By Innocent Orok
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lagos Area Office kick – started it stakeholders sensitisation campaign on Thursday in Lagos to educate, boat captains, owners , passengers and others of the gazetted INLAND WATERWAYS TRANSPORTATION REGULATIONS 2023 ( Waterways Transportation Code).
Leading the team , Lagos State Area Manager of NIWA, Engr. (Dr) Sarat Braimah , said the sensitisation campaign became necessary as directed by the Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji to educate stakeholders to keep to the new code and adhere strictly to safety standards.
Recalled that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola among other dignitaries has few months ago launched the Code at the Lokoja, Kogi State headquarters of NIWA.
Addressing journalists, boat captains passengers and other stakeholders at the Marina, Lagos jetty, Engr. Braimah said the enforcement of the code has started with the collaboration with Naval Officers, NIWA Marshals and NIWA Police to enforce the Waterways Transportation Code.
The Area Manager during her address to various Boat captains and operators, she appeal to them to keep all the rules and regulations as contained in the Transportation Code booklet. ” We don’t want to record any mishap or do any rescue operations, we want to record zero accident especially at this ember months.
” Don’t drink and drive, don’t take drugs,make sure passengers wear life jackets, all these are offences with jail terms in this code. Please captains, please don’t over load your boats. Let’s put all our skills during training, let the passengers see your professionalism, please we are begging you , we don’t want to record any accidents.”
Also speaking, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) representative said the agency is partnering with NIWA to checkmate drug abuse, misuse and transportation of drugs in boats . She said they have make a lot of arrests on jetties on drug related issues and want them to desist and checkmate their passengers to avoid falling victim of the law.
On the Enforcement of the transportation code, the NIWA Police said safety is key in every aspect of lives, “if you see our Men on water , they are not to harass you, but to protect and checkmate your activities. If you are found wanting , that is what d code says, you will be arrested. So please let’s comply” ,he warned.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN:), representative complain of fuel scarcity which Boat captains suffers from and asked government to look into it. He promised to support NIWA to be number one.
The sensitisation campaign which started at the Marina jetty, moves to Beach Garden jetty and Aflko jetty at Lekki, where the Engr. Braimah presented copies of the waterways Transportation Code to the operators of both jetties.
The campaign further movesv to Lagos Boat Club, Maroko jetty, Ebute ero, and Five Cowries Terminal ( LASWA) all in Lagos Island , where the sensitisation campaign was carried out to educate both captains and Passengers of the regulations and penalties contained in the code. NIWA Flyers containing the regulations were distributed, while the Area Manager presented copies of the code to managers of the jetties.
The campaign continues today to Liverpool jetty and other jetties along Lagos waterways.
The new code have given legal powers to NIWA Police to arrest and presecute any defaulter of the code which includes overloading, night sailing, drunk driving, non registration of boat, non training of captains among others. The penalty for these offences ranges from N10,000 to over N100,000 or six months or more imprisonment.