Mahmood pushes waterway safety drive, charges NIWA on better service delivery
Maureen Aguta
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy (FMM&BE), Hajiya Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, has tasked the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to intensify safety awareness and enhance service delivery across Nigeria’s inland waterways, in line with the Federal Government’s blue economy aspirations.
Mahmood made the call during a strategic engagement with the management of NIWA in Abuja, aimed at acquainting her with the Authority’s operations and evaluating how its programmes align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Briefing the Permanent Secretary, the Acting Managing Director of NIWA, Alhaji Yusuf Umar Girei, outlined the Authority’s statutory mandate, vision and mission, as well as its key achievements and operational challenges. He said NIWA has continued to implement initiatives with measurable impact, tailored to support the Renewed Hope Agenda and reposition inland waterways as a viable economic corridor.
Girei emphasised that sustained collaboration with the private sector remains central to NIWA’s strategy, noting that such partnerships are critical to improving efficiency, expanding service delivery, strengthening navigation infrastructure and raising safety standards nationwide.
Responding, Mahmood commended NIWA’s efforts but stressed the need to significantly scale up safety sensitisation. She urged the Authority to extend its awareness campaigns beyond conventional platforms to religious centres, as a way of reaching a broader segment of water users and operators.
The Permanent Secretary also called for stronger collaboration with sister agencies, enhanced human capital development, more proactive engagement with the media for public enlightenment, and consistent reporting to the Ministry on NIWA’s activities and progress.
Officials from the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy at the meeting included the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Hajiya Kalthum Ibrahim; the Director of Maritime Services, Mr. Oyinloye Adeola Meshack; and other senior staff from the Office of the Permanent Secretary.
The NIWA delegation featured top management officials, including the General Manager, Legal Services, Barrister Naziru Biyankare; General Manager, Planning, Research and Statistics, Dan’Azumi Muazu; General Manager, Marine Services, Engr. Dakio Horsefall; General Manager, Engineering Services, Engr. Fidelis Ejike; and General Manager, Survey Services, Surv. Henry Adimoha.
The engagement underscored the Ministry’s resolve to strengthen institutional synergy and ensure safer, more efficient inland waterways as a catalyst for national economic growth.