*commends Lagos State govt

The Federation of Tourism of Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has called on boat operators on Nigerian waterways to obey safety rules to reduce accidents and improve safety. The call was made by the President of the federation, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung while meeting in Lagos with boat operators under the aegis of Association of Tourist Boats and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN), President of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) Mrs. Bolaji Mustapha, some stakeholders, and press men.

The FTAN President said with the current low value of the Naira, foreign trips are becoming unsustainable for an average Nigeria family, so it has become expedient to promote local tourism including maritime tourism activities for both local and international tourists. He said this can only be achieved if the safety of tourists on water is guaranteed. “We decided that it is time for us to take this sector more seriously for the sake of, first of all, the operators, the government, and then our economy. Yes, we are tourism people, but you could understand that the Federation has those on water as part of us. That tells you that there is a lot about maritime tourism. And so, we are concerned about certain developments in this sector. But let us at least, say thanks to government for little they have done. So far, through the association, we have been trying to work together,” he said. Onung praised the Lagos State government through its agency in charge of water transportation, the Lagos State Waterway Authority (LASWA) for providing infrastructure and technology for water transportation to thrive in the state: “We have littoral states, Lagos is not the only one, but Lagos is very important. That is why we begin this journey of trying to check what happens to the blue economy. I want to say that there is money in water. I actually need more people off the land and put them on water to aid movement and help trade. I commend the state for the efforts and urge them to do more.“You will agree that like where we are sitting, the entire environment, there is a way to develop it an tourism in its self will thrive and begin to attract others to come to us. Let me also appreciate the operators for their resilience, keeping up with this business despite the challenge.”Speaking on the accident that happened in Niger and Lagos States, he said: “When we heard of accidents in Niger State, we begin to ask questions, that is why we came to members of ATBOWATN, the WATBOTN. We first of all commensurate with them, and the public and those who lost their lives in what happened in Niger State. I have not gotten a proper brief of what happened two or three days ago (in Lagos), but I’m sure some loses had been incurred and we sympathize with everyone who have lost persons, business or equipment. “Having said so, we also want to be sure that between operators and government, they are on the same page. If government has roles, let them be made known. Somebody may say smuggling is profitable, but it is very dangerous to lives, properties, and to our economy. If we are saying you don’t get on a boat without a life jacket, then we must ensure that this industry is standardized, and that it is safe for foreigners, those of us in Nigeria, to at least make sure that tourism thrives, the transportation on water thrives, and that is why we came. Bringing you here to today aims to further highlight the importance of maritime tourism. “Two to three weeks ago, I did a boat ride from CMS and landed in Port Novo. When my host, who is the chairman of the private sector tourism association in Benin Republic, saw me on water, he was scared and started shouting. I laughed. I told him it was safe. On my way back, he bought me a flight ticket but I declined. I went back the same way I came. What was that? I needed the experience. I was on water for two and half hours. Two hours were still within Nigeria, because we had to get to Badagry and all of that, before we got into Benin Republic. That distance will be about 25 minutes from the border of Nigeria.“I also want to speak with our operators on this other side, let us not operate outside the known rules. All these put together will ensure safe and comfortable waterways. When this happens, you can sure that people will even have use the water transportation more, travel from here to Cotonou for example, and return. This is what we need. “We want to ensure that the maritime tourism that we are about to promote is safe, comfortable, and we can call the world to come and enjoy what we see in Florida where this business is taken to a different level.” Our currency, our economy does not allow us to go too far. We want people to come, and for them to come, we want to prepare the way.”The president of the ATBOWATON Mr. Gani Tarzan Balogun also used the opportunity to call on the government to pay greater attention to transportation on water through greater funding for to acquire more navigational aids that would improve transportation on water. He also called on the government to devote more funds to marine police department to help safeguard the waterways. Speaking on the boat accident in Niger State, he said the report he got said the accident, he said the boat was overloaded and unfortunately ran into an object inside the water leading to the accident. He advised boat operators to enforce safety rules on water and also ensure boat operations ends by 6pm daily since there is no navigational equipment for night operation. Mr. Babatope Fajemirokun, the President of Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN) said the operators are working hard to improve water transporters in Nigeria, most especially, the West Coast waterway. He said in 2023, the operators made about 144 trips on water to Port Novo from Lagos. However, he said the number this year has seen a decline with just about 64 trips so far.