The Federal Government has announced preparedness to open up interstate water transportation system to curb high cost of fare following the removal of fuel subsidy.
It noted that 28 States of the Federation are navigable and its decision to explore interstate water transportation will easily come to fruition.
Speaking with newsmen over the weekend, the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority(NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji stated the Federal Government will efficiently manage water ways to add value to the country’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
According to him: “Certainly, in this period of high cost of transportation and all, we are exploring water ways as means of transportation. 28 out of 36 states if properly handled are navigable to enhance our water transportation, you can be rest assure that we are going to work on that and make use of our waterways.
“We will ensure that our waterways is efficiently managed so that we can add value to our GDP. We are going to maximize the opportunity of our water ways. Apart from transportations, there are a lot of benefits in our water systems that we can tap into. We are going ensure that we add values to our water ways.”
Oyebamiji also stressed that the economy reforms by President Bola Tinubu will later put laughter on the faces of all Nigerians.
He said: “Nigerians have forgotten that the economy challenges have been existing in the country for a very long time. Since we took over from the British, we have not gotten our economy policy right, this is the only time that we have gotten our economy policy right. If you look back, we have a lot of challenges and to correct it, it will take time. The suffering might be big now but I am very sure that our people will laugh last.”