Lagos boat operators under the aegis of Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transport of Nigeria (ATBOWATN) have called for more marine police officers to combat crimes on Lagos State waterways.
ATBOWATN President, Mr Tarzan Balogun, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, yesterday.
Balogun said given the security challenges in Nigeria, the waterways had become alternative routes of escape for criminals.
He said the Federal and Lagos State governments should, in addition to deploying more officers, provide needed equipment for them to function effectively and efficiently.
For a smooth operation, he suggested the provision of new speedboats with big engine horsepower and improved maintenance.
In addition, he mentioned the lighting up of waterways and the supply of powerful ammunition as some of the other areas to improve upon.
According to him, if all the aforementioned basic needs were provided, they would help to fight kidnapping and other criminal activities on the waterways.
“The recent kidnapping of a sand dredger in the Eti-Osa axis was allegedly carried out through the waterways. Pipeline vandals carry out their evil deeds on the waterways, and also escape through the same route. The waterways have become escape routes for evildoers. Therefore, there is the need to mount and boost security on the waterways by deploying more marine police and equipping them with basic needs,” he said.
Balogun said the illegal and brazen activities of pirates and kidnappers on the waterways had become unbearable. “It is high time the government found a lasting solution to activities of bandits on our waterways before the situation gets completely out of hand,” Balogun said.
The ATBOWATN president also urged the government to privatise jetties across the state for proper management and operations.
He expressed confidence that private investors would manage the jetties better than the government.
Balogun urged the state government to undertake a Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to develop the tourism potential of the waterways.
“The government cannot do it alone. It requires private sector participation to achieve its goals, especially on the hinterland. Improving the water transportation system would assist in decongesting and dislodging gridlocks on the roads,” he said
He, therefore, urged the Lagos State government to adopt investor-friendly policies to help keep boat operators in business.
