The Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) has given kudos to the Lagos State Government on its efforts towards making water transportation a viable one in the state.
Speaking on the issue, in Lagos, on Wesnesday, its president, Tarzan Balogun, said that the state govenrment deserved commendation for its efforts in putting all necessary facilities/equipment in place to boost water transportation across the riverine areas of the state.
Balogun gave instances of the facilities which include the navigating machine, life jackets, water hyacinth clearing machines, clearing of dirts on the waterways, construction of more jetties, deployment of Marine Police personnel and providing more commercial boats on waterways.
In his words: “These were some of the factors responsible for boat mishaps on the waterways but the situation has been greatly improved upon by the new initiatives by the state government.
“All these developments are commendable. The state government is trying and we appreciate its efforts.
“But like the proverbial Oliver Twist, we will continue to crave for more improvement, so that people can see water transportation as a better alternative to road transportation,’’ he said.
He, however, enjoined the government to give priority to the local boat manufacturing companies, instead of importation.
“It is cheaper to patronise local manufacturing companies than to import boats, ferries and other facilities from overseas” he said.
He noted that the dollar exchange rate is not encouraging, adding that patronising locally- made boats and ferries would boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
