Bayo Akomolafe 
Over N4 trillion economic resources are wasting on inland waterways due to silts, poor funding and poor road networks.
It was learnt that plans by the Federal Government to move over two million containers through the Nigerian inland waterways this year have also been truncated by shallow waterways due to lack of fund to dredge the river channels to enable barges move economic goods.
Some of the opportunities and resources in the Nigerian waterways are fishing, trawling, ship building and repairs, port and harbour, hydro power generation, off shore and off dock stevedoring, jetty operation, ferry and boat services, tourism, platforms, pilot and towage boats, mooring and supply crew vessel.
Others are coastal shipping, container freight stations, freight forwarding, medium and small scale industries, reefers carriers, truck holding bays, refineries, petrochemical industries, dredging and marine materials excavation, supply of bunkers of petroleum and water, cargo consolidation, logistics and distribution.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had projected 500 daily trips of vessel traffic to and from the ports in 2025, however, the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr Bola Oyebamiji, has complained over the poor state of three key river ports in the country valued at about ₦9.4 billion, noting that unless something was done urgently, the ports would soon become white elephant projects.
Oyebamiji said that private sector investment remained the only viable option to getting the ports operational, explaining that government cannot fund their completion and maintenance alone.
However, Oyebamiji noted that NIWA had embarked on a strategic tour of NIWA’s facilities in Onitsha, Warri, and Port Harcourt to assess the conditions of inland waterways infrastructure.
It was revealed that Baro Inland River Port in Niger State, which awarded in 2009 for ₦3.56 billion had been fully constructed but remains non-operational due to poor road connectivity, lack of maintenance of equipment and inadequate funding for dredging and infrastructure development.
He confirmed that despite completion, the port remains inaccessible, making it difficult for cargo movement. Also, the managing director stressed that the Oguta River Port in Imo State, that was awarded in 2009 for ₦2.74 billion was 65 per cent completed due to lack of budgetary allocations in recent years and rising construction costs as the Lokoja Port in Kogi State was awarded in 2012 for ₦6.4 billion but is only 56 per cent completed due to low budgetary allocations and the rising cost of construction materials.
Recall that Onitsha Rivers Port was constructed and equipped with mobile harbour cranes, transit sheds, administrative blocks, fire hydrant systems, water treatment plants, reach stackers, 100KVA power generating sets and forklifts of various tonnages.
Built in 2013, Onitsha River Port was handed over to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) for concession by NIWA in order to save shippers about N100 billion annually from the costs incurred on cargo clearance at the Lagos seaports.
Also, ever since the Baro Port was commissioned by the Federal Government, no activities has taking place due to bad road leading to the river port.
The river port was constructed to boost commerce in the northern part of the country but the access road leading to it from the Gegu express way in Kogi State is not motorable because of neglet by the government.
It was learnt that Baro Port contract was first awarded in 2011 at a cost of N2.56 billion by the Federal Executive Council to a Chinese company, Messrs CGGC Global Project but was inflated to N6 billion because of delay.
The port was expected to create at least 2,000 direct jobs and hundreds of thousands indirect jobs when its contract was awarded.
