…engages Marine Consultant for training
In a bid to curb waterways incidents and accidents resulting from unprofessional conduct and unsafe boat operations, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Cross River Area Office has set January 2024 as a deadline for boat operators in Cross River to undergo training for recertification with NIWA.
The inland waterways regulator also revealed that it has engaged a marine consultant to commence the training of boat operators on safety and professional conduct
Area Manager, NIWA Cross River Area Office, Engr. Stanley Onuoha, disclosed this while engaging waterways users and boat operators from Cross River and Ebonyi states on Tuesday.
Onuoha informed the participants that Marine Training consultant has been commissioned to train all categories of boat and barge drivers, stressing that the training is mandatory and requsite for their certification by NIWA.
Towards this end, a one-month enforcement date effective January 2024 was announced as operational enforcement circle to which all boats or barge drivers for requisite training and boat drivers licence issued by NIWA to enable the operators ply the waterways.
According to him, although there are regulatory guidelines for waterway operations that are well documented, several boat operators and waterways users don’t comply with the regulations.
“In compliance with the best regulatory practices, night sailings are a taboo, boats plying the waterways must undergo annual survey checks for river worthiness and must be registered by NIWA. All necessary navigation equipment must be on board and including life jackets for passengers and a zero tolerance for boat operators and drivers without boat driving licence and permits,” the NIWA boss said.
The NIWA Area Manager opined that there is a need to carefully refresh the memory of boat operators and other stakeholders on the importance of carrying out safe and secured activities on the waterways to forestall any form of mishap leading to human or material losses.
Onuoha, who was speaking at an expanded stakeholders meeting in Calabar on Tuesday, appealed to all users of the Calabar – Ebonyi water channel to synergize with the regulatory Authority to achieve its set mandates, reiterating that NIWA Cross River Area Office will not compromise the enforcement of passengers safety on the waterways.
“We are determined to change the operational narratives, which we wish to build around our stakeholders. There has been increased traffic on our waterways for the movement of persons, goods, and services, and with our new mandate, tourism, fishing and recreational opportunities will be powered through the brown water ecosystem.”
“In line with the instructions of our Managing Director, Mr. Munirudeen Oyebamiji, we have prepared our minds to process the delivery in these areas; hence, we felt we need to share ideas and work together, ” Onuoha posited.