Headlines
Passengers express concerns over dilapidated boats plying Lagos Waterways

Eyewitness reporter
Water transportation passengers have expressed worries over the dilapidated state of some of the boats and ferries plying the Lagos inland waterway.Recall that boat mishaps have been on the increase in Lagos state in the last few years and experts have claimed that most of these accidents are caused by rickety boats plying the waterways.
The accidents, it was gathered, have claimed several lives and wounded many. In a chat with our correspondent over the weekend, agitated passangers said most boats operating on the waterways are disaster waiting to happen. They further argued that while the boats are rickety and substandard, they also lack safety gadgets and accessories in case of emergency. A passenger who identified himself as Seun Olowe, who travels from Ikorodu to Apapa everyday, said passengers from Ikorodu have continuously lamented the state of the boats, even as he added that several times, the boats stop in the middle of the waters due to faulty engines or bad state of the boat. He said, “This is not the first time we are complaining about the state of the boats, but it seems the regulators are just concerned about their fee, they pay no attention to the lives of the people, it’s unfair. Pointing at some of the boats at the jetty, he lamented, “In fact, these ones you are seeing are even still better, if you see some, they are worse than these, those are the ones they call open coffins and many of them are just so bad, but you don’t have a choice but to use them, if you must get to work early.” Another passenger, Oyinkansola Oyewo who spoke to our correspondent, also decried the state of the boats, while calling on relevant agencies to arrest the situation before it leads to further loss of lives and properties. She said, “Yes, sometimes when we are on water, our hearts are in our mouth, because anything can just happen and they will tell you that the boat has stopped working, I have had cause to change boats about four times from Ikorodu to Apapa because those boats are old and not in good condition. “And I think this issue of water hyacinth is really disturbing them; you need to come to Ikorodu and see what water hyacinth has done to the waters, you can barely even see the waters, and when this hyacinth hooks the ‘half-alive’ engine, it will just stop working and sometimes we are stranded for more than 20 minutes before another boat will come, it’s just so bad coupled with the fact that many of the life jackets are worn out and have expired” she lamented. The Lagos state Chairman of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) Mr Lawal Babatunde had stated that the association is working to ensure that the boats are in good condition. He said members of the association have been warned not to use rickety boats, he also lamented that the price of boat engines have skyrocketed. According to him, it cost over N10 million to get a new engine of 200hp, while it cost about N2.5 million to get a tokunbo engine. “So you see, sometimes it’s not our fault, boat spare parts are very costly nowadays, even the engine cost about N10 million to get a new 200HP, while it cost about N2.5 million to get a tokunbo, that you don’t know if it is in good shape,” he said. Effort to get response of the General Manager, Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Sarat Braimoh,proved abortive as text messages sent to her line were not responded to as at the time of this report.
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Headlines
Exclusive! Hope rises on take-off of proposed $3bn Badagry Deep Seaport as NPA, APMT resume discussion

The approval was finalised following a presentation by the Federal Ministry of Transportation at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during the last administration of President Mohammed Buhari.
According to officials, the port is expected to generate $53.6 billion in revenue over the 45 years concession period.
The proposed site of the project is located 55km west of Apapa and the port of Lagos, along the 55km long Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which is being upgraded from a four-lane to a ten-lane expressway.
The port is expected to have an annual throughput capacity of 1.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
The proposal for the project was announced in 2012. Feasibility studies have been completed and construction works are yet to start.
The project will be implemented in four phases, with the overall project cost estimated to range between $2 billion and $3 billion.
Also, it is expected that the new port will primarily ease pressure on the existing ports of Lagos, Apapa and Tin-Can Ports, which handle approximately 85 percent of the country’s non-oil throughput.
It will further alleviate the burden on the country’s existing ports, which are on the verge of exceeding their cargo handling capacities, and address the country’s annual container traffic, which is expected to grow to 10 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units by 2030.
Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park and warehousing and Inland Container Deport functions.
Headlines
Jamoh, Bello- Koko, serial award winners, bag National Productivity merit awards

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, is gradually turning into a serial award winner as he has landed yet another plaque of honour from the federal government.

An excited Jamoh expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, noting that it is a call to greater service to our Fatherland.“I am spurred by this award, particularly as it is coming from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, which underscores the ministry’s role in ensuring reward for hard work and productivity in public service”
“Let me also use this opportunity to dedicate the award to the industry’s stakeholders; external and internal, as they have made our work easier as an administration.
“We will continue to strive to make the maritime sector a viable economic driver, especially with the Blue Economy mantra, which is critical to the sustainability of the maritime sector”, Jamoh said.
Commenting the on the selection of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the DG said it is a well-deserved honour, as she has remained a core professional and astute administrator in the coordination of activities in the Ministry and the Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry.
“I am not surprised by her selection, as she is an administrator par excellence and has remained resolute and professional in the discharge of her duties.
”This conferment can only spur me and the entire team at the Nigerian Ports Authority whose commitment to exceptional performance culminated in this recognition, to continue pushing the limit and advancing the frontiers of trade facilitation.
”Imbued with the understanding that excellence is a moving target, I want to seize this moment to assure that we will not rest on our laurels in our resolve to turn our rich maritime potentials into actualities’, an elated Koko declared.
The National Productivity Order of Merit Award was instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria to recognize and honour productive individuals and organizations in Nigeria in the year of the award for achievements made in the preceding years.
Headlines
Shippers’ Council bestows on APMT certificate of registration as regulated service provider at ports

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