Reviving inland waterways Despite the enormous potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways, the resource has remained largely untapped. Stakeholders at a recent seminar on the issue spoke with COMFORT OSEGHALE After decades of neglect, Nigeria’s inland waterways came under focus on Tuesday when the National Inland Waterways Authority hosted an international conference and exhibition meant to educate stakeholders on the economic viability of the waterways. The event, which had in attendance the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar; the Managing Director NIWA, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma; the Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority, Mr. Habib Abdullahi; the Director of Maritime Services, Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr. Musa Nagogo; the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Shippers Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, also drew participants from the private sector. The exhibition featured local ferry operators, boat builders and both local and foreign dredging companies. With over 10,000km of waterways, Nigeria is said to have about 3,000km of navigable network, linking 28 states. And with the dredging of the Lower River Niger fully completed and the expected dredging of River Benue put at N250m, transportation along some of the waterways has reportedly come to life with cargo and barges transporting goods. So far, N43bn has been expended on the dredging of the lower Niger. Another N15bn spent on the construction of ports and jetties, including the procurement of cargo handling equipment at the Onitsha River Port. Lots of business opportunities, according to experts, abound in the inland waterways. They list them as boat building and dredging work, dockyard services/management, engineering work, fishing and hydropower generation, hydrographic survey, irrigation, oil and gas exploration including support services, recreation/sporting, transportation (runs and cruises), tourism, underwater engineering services and water supply. Addressing participants at the conference, Umar assured investors of the government’s commitment to modernising the inland waterways. He added that it was the government’s intention to reduce pressure on the nation’s road transport network in conveying bulk cargo. Umar said, “Cargo can be transported over long distances at very low rates on inland water channels. Already the Onitsha River Port is almost set for concession with the appointment of Green Stratos Limited as the concession adviser. They have a contractual obligation to deliver a concessionaire to operate the port within six months. “Other major river ports at Baro in Niger State, Oguta in Imo State and Lokoja in Kogi State have also been reconstructed. This government considers security a top priority; as a result, 12 patrol boats have been procured to provide security on our waterways at a cost of N239m.” Despite the government’s report on the viability of investing in the inland waterways, some stakeholders in the maritime sector are scared of the venture owing to the challenges to be encountered and the sustainability of the business enterprise. But the Chief Executive Officer of Harlem International Limited and President Shippers Association, Mr. Jonathan Nicol, described the conference and exhibition as a reawakening for Nigeria about the business as a modern transport mode for development. He said, “In the 70s and 80s, there was a ferry that travelled from Bendel to Lagos State. It was well patronised by people who couldn’t travel by land. Those who had items to send to their villages also did so by ferry. “Cargoes were usually kept in the ferry hatch. All that died down when roads came to the hinterland and more Nigerians got cars. Re-introducing this means of transport is a good development but the vessels must conform to modern technology if Nigerians are to utilise them.” Nicol added that inter-state transportation by water was also a means of boosting the tourism sector in terms of boat cruise. At present, there is only one company in Nigeria which offers cruise services and this operation is within Lagos. He said, “I travelled at a time from Lagos to Port Harcourt by sea. It was a beautiful experience especially during sunset. Water transport will go a long way in assisting with road maintenance because lots of cargo will be taken off the road. But if we are to boost the tourism sector, all the vessels must be new and modern. In fact, vessels intended for this purpose should not have an incident on the high seas for the next five years. “It is also important that the operators have dedicated employees and efficient services, so that there is no issue of accidents on the high sea. On our part, as shippers, we will use this service but it must be properly managed by the private sector. We do export goods out of Lagos to other states.” A maritime consultant and Head of Operations, Heamprol Offshore Nigeria, Mr. Benajmin Bekes, commended the development and described it as an employment opportunity for seafarers. He said, “Modernising our inland waterways for transport and other activities is a great idea. There are lots of opportunities for seafarers who choose to work on vessels that ply the inland waters; these seafarers are called quartermasters. It is not every seafarer who wants to travel long distances as is applicable on international vessels. “Although the public may not know it, inland water transport has already begun. If you go to Ebute Ero or Idumota jetty, you will see vessels bringing in goods from Ondo, Balyesa and Delta states. This is a big market for investors and it is a profitable one too.” However, Bekes told our correspondent that the major challenges of this sector had to do with the uncharted and shallow channels of the inland waters. He said, “All the challenges private investors would encounter in this sector are related to navigation. The first is that majority of the channels are not chartered or buoyed. Buoys when installed along the channels indicate safe routes for navigation. This is something that can be done efficiently by a professional. “There is also the problem of depth; most of these channels are shallow. Granted that the lower Niger has been dredged but some of the routes on the waterways also need dredging too. Private investors will have to partner the respective state governments on this. “Then there is the issue of security. The marine police have a big job cut out here for them. There are so many routes that are not covered by the marine police. All these things have to be taken into consideration if the inland waterways are to be a success.” A representative of the Nigerian Indigenous Shipowners Association, Captain Niyi Labinjo, who was also at the conference, commended the initiative but did not indicate NISA’s intention to invest any time soon. Labinjo said, “The conference and exhibition are commendable; it is a good initiative. However, for now, NISA is watching as things unfold. If we find the inland waterway as a business opportunity interesting, we would invest our resources there.” The facility manager of a Lagos-based ferry operator, Metro Ferry, Zachary Dekina, told our correspondent that operators needed incentives to extend services beyond their states. He stressed the cost of inter-state ferry operations was enormous due to the fact that standard vessels would have to be imported in accordance with the global practice. He said, “If we are to extend our services beyond Lagos State that means we would have to import new ferries, taking the comfort of the passengers into account. The least amount you can get for such a ferry would be N50m; it is expensive. Although we have local boat builders, I do not think they are capable of producing the kind of ferries that we need to move from state to state. To make this venture work, we need lots of intervention and waivers. “NIWA has a lot of work to do on the waterways aside from dredging. There is a lot of debris on our waterways that hampers smooth navigation. Take Lagos for instance, we have a lot of water hyacinths on our waterways; they are a problem. We expect NIWA to clear them if they want to encourage more investors. “There is no businessman who would not invest in good opportunity if it is profitable but they would want to be sure that it can work.” Some people, however, declared that they were not ready to take a ferry as a means of inter-state transportation. A passenger, Jubril Nasirudeen, told THE PUNCH that Nigerians were not ready for the service. He named maintenance and efficiency of operations as a major issue with ferry operators in Lagos. He said, “I have had several experiences of ferries breaking down in the middle of the ocean when their engines developed faults. A journey of 20 minutes then takes one hour or more because you would then have to wait in the middle of the water while the ferry employees call their office for help. “If one is travelling from Lagos to Niger State and the ferry breaks down in the middle of nowhere, do you know what that means? “Another problem is that Nigerians do not have a good maintenance culture. The entire project might start off well but can we maintain it? I am not in a haste to travel by ferry to other states. I would rather wait and see how it goes.” Another passenger who identified himself as Olalekan described the use of ferries in Lagos as a necessary evil for passengers who are often trying to beat traffic just to make it to the office in good time. He said, “Anytime I use a ferry, I just resign myself to fate that anything can happen. We are taking enough risks using ferries within Lagos; to take them outside Lagos is another matter. The operators would have to procure new vessels which would be comfortable and safe for the journey.” Copyright PUNCH.All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng ift.tt/1oOguJc ift.tt/1yxy7h5 [[Boost your social presence with NAIRALIKES nairalikes ]] #nigeria x #nairalikes #vanguardng
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 23:15:16 +0000