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Lagos waterway: Boat operators must adhere to rule of engagement, says NIWA

NIWA, Lagos

By Temitope Adebayo

The Lagos Area office of National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA), has warned boat operators and ferry services providers to stick to rules of engagement that overspeeding, overloading and fueling while on transit will not be tolerated.

The Lagos Area Manager, Engineer Sarat Braimah said this at a meeting with the stakeholders,that the authority is against boarding boats without life jackets and other sundry activities unbecoming of boating rules, adding that all stakeholders must show commitment to passengers safety, including that of other waterway users.

Braimah reiterated the importance of safety and welfare of passengers on water crafts, adding that the impact of climate change is here in Nigeria and can be seen through lens of devastating floods which breached socioeconomic and environmental lifelines of most states in the country, rendering the people homeless and destroying farm lands and livestock.

According to her, “This meeting is to prepare us to be circumspect and not take chances over weather forecast and consequent high tides of lagos waters for granted. We want you to go back to your unit bodies and members to draw their attention to the expected impact of climate change which is here with us, so we cannot afford to sleep over this matter and must therefore, prepare to confront it head long if it comes our way.”

At the meeting, the leadership and members of Association Of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters (ATBOWATON), Waterfront Boat Owners and Water Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN) and Maritime workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), lagferry, seacoach, and Texas connection, also deliberated on how to arrest logs and wrecks pushed out by flood from the creeks into the waterways, posing risk to Boat services and operations.

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She further assured of deploying the NIWA task force, backed by ambulance services round the clock, with proactive management of water hyacinth which is also moved upstream to the waterways, posing a challenge to boat operations.

“We have written to request that water hyacinth be cleared and checked. We have also taken note of the possible challenges of having floods pushing out logs and wrecks from the creeks into the waterways and we believe, our ongoing wreck removal efforts, will address the problem,” she added.

Trade-Net in Nigeria will facilitate ease of doing business- Stakeholders

Stakeholders have called for the replication of Ghana’s Single Window System and its electronic data interchange platform called Trade-Net in Nigeria as it will enabled operators in the sector share information, exchange data and fast track the working process.

They gave the submission, yesterday, at a two-day seminar on implementation of Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM). Tagged: “Global Best Practices in Port Operations and the Industry Perspective,” the seminar held at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) corporate headquarters in Apapa, Lagos.

The seminar was put together by the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) comprising the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

They also commended the implementation of the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) that has facilitated the ease of doing business in the nation’s ports and drastically reduced corruption tendencies.

Speaking at the event is the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Emmanuel Jime, said the implementation of the manual has facilitated the ease of doing business in the nation’s ports and has drastically reduced corruption tendencies.

Jime said the overview of the manual and conversations on the obligations of various stakeholders, mode of terminal operations, shipping operations, the attitude of truckers and the role of dock workers as enshrined in the manual, will provide beneficial information to add to stakeholders’ knowledge of the sector to foster operational efficiency in line with global best practices.

He said a proper understanding and application of the manual would bring about cost-effectiveness, and reduction of waste while maintaining the quality of service.

The NSC boss reiterated that it would also bring about transparency in the conduct of port businesses, which will produce trust and goodwill while safeguarding the industry’s reputation among investors, partners, customers, and other stakeholders.

According to him, if relevant stakeholders and authorities comply with approved standards and rules as enshrined in the manual, challenges faced today will automatically ease off and pave way for seamless operations at the nation’s seaports.

A ship broker and logistics consultant, Mr James Olley, said Nigeria’s port system has been facing challenges, which has defied solutions.

Olley said the current challenges include, inter-agency overlap with different objectives that have been a bane in the industry with the issues getting tough as well as la ack of effective and objective targets for agencies.

He stated, include, a lack of measurements of parameters and mechanisms for visibility among various players in the process, as well as, no properly organised and institutional manuals of various agencies.

“Government policies are affecting agencies, making them work at cross-purposes, thereby, affecting the cost and efficiency of cargo delivery.

“Contrary to the processes in Ghana, whose port systems have been automated and work on a single window interface, with regulatory laws for efficiency and visibility.”

The consultant said the Ghana Community Network Platform (GCNET) implemented in 2002 has enabled the automation of ports and customs operations with the presence of various users, the interconnectivity of their activities and sharing of information, DailyTimesNGR gathered.

The platform enables sharing of information and data with all parties involved in the processing of trade documents and customs clearances.

In his word ‘It provides an opportunity for sharing of information among various stakeholders, which include Customs, ports authority, customs brokers, freight forwarders, commercial banks, freight terminals, airport freight ground handling, ministries of trade, ministry of finance and economic planning, revenue agencies, free trade zone, Ghana statistical service and Central Bank.”

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Ihesiulo Grace

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