President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Mr Nkereweum Onung, has called on the federal government to assist tourist boat operators in Nigeria in effectively responding to the demands of the waterways transportation ecosystem in the country.
According to the FTAN leader, who flew into Lagos to condole with Dr Gani Tarzan Balogun, President of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), over the lives lost in the Kwara State boat accident, it is time for the federal and state governments to seriously consider boat transportation as a significant sector deserving of funding and investment opportunities.
“We at FTAN most sincerely pray that such an avoidable accident should not happen again anywhere in the country and wish to reiterate that the entire water transportation economy be captured in the national developmental agenda. As key members of our federation, we stand in the gap in prayers with ATBOWATON and all boat operators in the country at this dark period, including the families of the victims of the accident and the Kwara State government,” he declared.
Nkereweum Onung assured the leadership of ATBOWATON that the leadership of FTAN would join the ongoing efforts by the National Inland Waterways Authority to unravel the cause of the incident and suggest practical operational ways to prevent such sad occurrences in the future.
He stated, “Dear president of ATBOWATON, please rest assured that we shall join your team in Kwara whenever you are ready and also take the campaign to abreast the government on the need to engage opportunities to assist boat operators in sustainably and effectively contributing to national socio-economic development through the maritime tourism ecosystem, which is yet to be fully tapped and harnessed.
“The Kwara Waterways accident should be thoroughly evaluated beyond the rash of sympathetic interests and emotional retorts but should serve as a wake-up call for serious intervention to resolve the pains and challenges of the boating economy critical to harnessing the brown water maritime tourism industry. Our people, particularly those around our vast littoral communities, must have access to the enabling environment to travel safely, exploit the goldmine of maritime tourism, and contribute to the economic growth of the country,” Nkereweum added.
In response, Dr Gani Tarzan Balogun appreciated the timely visit of the FTAN President, noting that the burden of survival for boat transport operators is huge and requires serious attention from the government.
“When accidents happen on the water, there’s always a rush to blame boat operators, and to many people, the issues of lack of training are usually bandied about, but in truth, certain operational and cultural pressures on operators contribute sometimes to avoidable accidents. From accessing spare parts to the cost of fueling boats, insurance, absence of operational opportunities like fueling depots on waterways, and cultural attitudes of our people towards safe boating ecology, even taxes and levies by the authorities can influence certain challenges.”
The ATBOWATON President added that he would mobilize members of the maritime community and stakeholders to address the problems of water transportation in Nigeria.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Why Nigeria’s economy needs prayer — Primate Ayodele
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has revealed that Nigeria’s economy needs prayers to…
EXCLUSIVE: DSS recovers 18 bags of currency, documents from Emefiele’s Lagos residence
No fewer than 18 Ghana-must-go bags containing money and documents have been carted away by operatives of…
Ladies should have between N5m to N10m before getting married — BBNaija’s Doyin
Former Big Brother Naija season 7 ‘Level Up’ housemate, Doyinsola Anuoluwapo David, popularly known as Doyin, has enjoined ladies to…
Peter Obi still best candidate for better Nigeria — Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in…
GWR: Chef Dammy plans to unseat Hilda Baci with 150-hour cook-a-thon
The 22-year-old chef, Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy, has revealed her plans to…
TRANSFER NEWS: Chelsea agree deal for 21-year-old Senegalese striker
According to The Athletic, Chelsea has agreed to personal terms with Villarreal’s Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 21, who has a release clause of…
and then