The lingering disagreement between the Federal and Lagos State Governments over the control of inland waterways has been resolved.
The Federal Government through its agency, the National Inland Waterways Authority, (NIWA) and Lagos State resolved the differences spanning over ten years, as both signed a mutual agreement on modalities for waterways regulations and control in the state.
The disagreement had led Lagos State to institute a legal action in court against the federal authorities, seeking judicial interpretations on who should regulate the waterways in Lagos.
Managing director of NIWA, Olorunimbe Mamora, told journalists during a courtesy visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the State House, Ikeja, that the decision was in the best interest of both parties.
“I am excited and I cannot thank you enough for this agreement. You were excited when I mooted this agreement to you. I also want to thank your predecessor, Akinwunmi Ambode, since government is a continuum. Our desire is possibility of settling outside the court.
“Today, the agreement is actualised. And for us at NIWA, it is all about what is going on in legality. Much more important to me is the good of our people and that is why I am looking at the area of legality. You do not need court intervention to ensure safety of the people. We want surveillance and revenue is the least important issue that we need to pay more attention to on waterways”, said Mamora.
On his part, Sanwo-Olu, congratulated both NIWA and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) for resolving their differences on the control of the waterways.
“It is actually important to tell each other that collaboration is important if government agencies cannot come together, how investors can come into the country to invest their resources.
“Transportation is one of the cardinal points of this administration. We also want to assure investors and partners that issues around water regulations have been eased out.
“Safety on the waterways is paramount and that is one of the things that we have discussed during the signing of this agreement,” said Sanwo-Olu
He assured that Lagos would continue to be a major player in water transportation given that one-third of the state is covered by water.
JOSHUA BASSEY
