Boat operators in Lagos have blamed the National Inland Waterways Authority for failing to repair its dilapidated jetties in the state.
The operators also claimed the jetties were destroying their boats.
One of the operators, Akeem Balogun, in a chat with Financial Street in Lagos, urged the Federal Government to provide bailout funds for the sector, noting that the business is capital-intensive and requires a lot of assistance.
Most NIWA jetties lack fenders and this is destroying boats, he said.
His words, “All your Federal Government jetties are not well maintained, we are paying to use these jetties but there is nothing there to guide our boats, no fenders, nothing.
“Our boats are getting damaged everyday, and if our boats get damaged, you will arrest us that our boat is not up to standard. And it is your jetty that is spoiling our boats.”
Balogun added, “We pay you for using your jetty, your jetty spoils our boats, yet you arrest us that our boat is damaged.”
The boat operator also decried accidents on waterways, saying most were as a result of abandoned logs on the waterways and activities of sand dredgers.
“There are lots of dredging pipes around Ojo area, we have written a lot of letters to NIWA but these pipes are still there causing accidents,” he stated.
On the need for government assistance, he said, “If you look at the money we invest into this business compared to the returns we are getting, you will know that we need government assistance.”
