We’re doing a lot to prevent flooding - NIWA boss

like you may be aware, we have 23 area offices across the country. So what we are doing, in terms of opening of blocked channels, is using the area offices across the country, identifying those areas where we have blocked channels and then within the limits of our own resources and capabilities, we start opening them up so that they have free flow of water.

Do you have yhe resources to do capital dredging?

Like I did say the last time I spoke to the media and it was here the question was asked, the resources available for you to do massive capital dredging is not there. What we’re doing is to use the resources we have to do what we call maintenance dredging, that is opening up channels, deepening channels where we have information, based on the statistical report from our department where we have such blockages and then we keep doing what we can do to ensure that these channels are open all year round.

When I started I said one of our primary responsibilities is to make sure that our channels are all year round navigable and that means opening them up to the extent that vessels can move around across the country.

Talking of resources, how much do you have on ground for this year?

All the resources, all the money available for NIWA this year is not all dedicated to dredging or to opening up of channels. There are other issues that take up resources; human capital development, development of infrastructure, building new jetties, building new ramps across the country and then getting vessels also and putting them to effective use.

So what we’re doing is as much as we have, we try to prioritize, but the important thing is that the key aspect of it is the human, the Nigerian, what affects them more, of what gives us opportunity for more benefit. So we look at that primarily, the Nigerian is the key here. So we addressed that primarily and the interest of the average Nigerian comes before every other interest, as far as it has to do with our own planning and our operations.

When you are doing these prioritizing, do you consider River Niger and River Benue, especially about the sand blocking the waterways?

If you will take note, not too long ago, about two, three weeks ago, the river chart for Benue, down to bifurcation, the first phase of it was launched, a few weeks ago. That’s an arrangement we have, it’s a collaboration between National Inland Waterways Authority, the Navy, being supported by NEXIM Bank, on the instrumentality of Sea Link Project.

When we talk about inland waterways in Nigeria, you will not lose sight of the fact of the positioning of River Benue and River Niger, these two are the major rivers in our country and that whatever we’re doing is around these two rivers, even the jetties we’re building or the ports we’re building, like you have a port in Onitsha completed, you have a port in Baro completed, the one in Lokoja is ongoing, not yet completed, the one in Oguta is not yet completed. We just started the Environmental Impact Assessment for the one in

Makurdi.

So you find out that all these jetties and all these ports are all in line with the issue with River Benue and River Niger. We’re very concerned about that, we’re very conscious of that and whatever we’re doing, we have that at the back of our minds.

Nigerians have expressed concerns about the National Waterways Bill. Should Nigerians be really concerned, is anything wrong with the bill?

The position of NIWA, as it has to do with the bill, has been transmitted in writing to the ministry, but the point here is that the National Assembly are made up of Nigerians and they are representing various communities and constituencies in the country. So for me, there is no issue that cannot be discussed. If there are concerns raised by various groups, certainly it has to be addressed for us to come up with a bill that is universally acceptable by everybody. So if there are concerns, I’m sure that National Assembly will look at it and then address the issues as they arise.