Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora on Wednesday resumed as the new Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in Lokoja, Kogi State with the promise to transform the agency through collaboration with the workers.
Mamora, in his maiden address delivered shortly after taking over from the immediate past Acting Managing Director, Barr. Danladi Ibrahim, described the agency as “a goldmine” which had remained largely untapped by the government, stressing that the country has a lot to benefits when the right things are done .
He explained that an effective inland waterways transportation system had the potential of sanitizing the waterways and helping in reducing high death rates associated with road accidents.
While promising to tackle the challenges hampering the smooth operations of the agency, Mamora charged the staff to join hands with him to actualise the vision and mission of the organization.
Earlier in his valedictory remarks, Bar. Danladi outlined some of the challenges facing the authority as including inadequate funding, poor remuneration, lack of infrastructures in navigable waterways, operational and jurisdictional conflicts with some sister agencies and state governments, amongst.
Despite the constraints, he listed some of successes recorded by the agency during his tenure as the completion of various river ports and jetties and procurement of cargo equipment for Onitsha River Port, maintenance dredging.
Others are, the dredging of major tributaries and water fronts, opening up of navigable channel on the Lake Chad, and procurement of patrol boats and water bus ambulances, amongst others.
