… ask govt to commit 20% of railway fund to water transportation
… ask FG, NASS to legislate, domesticate barge operation strictly for Nigerians
The Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) has said that barging is worth over $3 billion in Nigeria.
It therefore called on the federal government to commit 20 per cent of its railway budget to the development of inland water transportation, particularly barge operation.
President of BOAN, Doctor Bunmi Olumekun, made the declaration and call when he featured at the Roundtable Conference of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) at the secretariat of the association in Apapa, Lagos, recently.
He said that such financial commitment will help the government to tap the huge resources in barging that is worth over $3 billion for the country.
“Barge operation is a $3 billion investment added to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); we have not tapped what we are supposed to get from the industry.
“Barging requires a lot of capital; we cannot do it alone. Government needs to come to our aid. We will appreciate it if the government can dedicate 20 per cent of the railway funding to water transportation,” Olumekun said, adding that the proposed Regional Maritime Bank is an advantage for them.
“The maritime bank is a welcome development. We can easily get a loan at one digit interest,” he stated.
Speaking further, the BOAN President said that port terminal operators and some foreigners, mostly Asians, have taken over their job and called on the federal government and the National Assembly to legislate and domesticate barge operation strictly for Nigerians.
He said: “Asians have bought over all the land along Agbara and Badagry waterways in Lagos for terminal purposes with interest-free loans. We don’t want to be left behind. Bonded terminals were used and dumped by the government. Nobody was patronising them.
“We need legislation to regulate barge operations to make barging a local content strictly for Nigerians. All our barges are locally made in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt and a lot of companies are coming into barge construction.
“The industry must be protected to save over five thousand jobs in the industry. The National Assembly must also legislate that a certain percentage of cargo should be moved by water and the state governments should invest in water transportation.”
Olumekun commended the efforts of the Nigerian Ports Authority on the regulation of barge business and said that barge operators in the last three years have moved three million TEUs of cargo in and out of ports in Lagos.
He described the Lekki Port as a messiah as it would create a lot of business opportunities for his members.
“We need to put a lot of things in place. What happened in Apapa should not happen at Lekki,” he stated.
Also speaking at the conference, the Public Relations Officer of BOAN, Prince Daniel Eze, said that some terminal operators have begun to open up the barge operation department.
“We want a legislative act that forbids foreigners and terminal operators from barging operations,” he said.