Inland waterways: Lagos issues boat operators, dredgers 7-day ultimatum

The Lagos State government has issued a 7-day ultimatum to boat operators, dredgers and all stakeholders in the inland waterways sector to comply with all the applicable laws, rules and guidelines concerning their operations failure of which appropriate stiff sanctions would apply. This was disclosed at a briefing jointly addressed by the state Commissioner for […]

The Lagos State government has issued a 7-day ultimatum to boat operators, dredgers and all stakeholders in the inland waterways sector to comply with all the applicable laws, rules and guidelines concerning their operations failure of which appropriate stiff sanctions would apply.

This was disclosed at a briefing jointly addressed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde; Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem; Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Engr Ade Akinsanya; Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA); Ms Abisola Kamson; and Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Ferry Services,  Paul Kalejaye Kazeem on the recent Court of Appeal judgment which upheld the power of the Lagos State government to control inland waterways within the state.

 Ayorinde  said the state government declared readiness to aggressively enforce the relevant laws for the regulation of waterfront infrastructure development and all connected purposes, and urged all boat and dredging operators to be law abiding and fully comply with the resolve of the government to sanitize the sector for the overall benefit of the people.

He said there have been varied attempts by those who lost out especially the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to whittle down the effect of the appellate court judgment, but that in as much as the state government was not out to antagonize or fight anybody, it would however be “uncowed, unbowed and fiercely protect the God-given resources within the state and never relent in championing the cause of true federalism in the country.”

Reacting to claims by NIWA that the judgment did not favour the state government, Kazeem said the quest by the federal agency to keep on controlling the resources of the state from Abuja despite the judgment was totally absurd and cannot stand when viewed from moral, legal and economic grounds.