The Area Manager, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lagos, Sarat Lara Braimah, has urged the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) to improve on services to water transportation users and comply with NIWA’s guidelines.
Braimah made the call during a party organised by the Lagos chapter of ATBOWATON at the weekend to celebrate their growth.
Braimah lauded the efforts of the leadership of the Lagos chapter of the private sector national boat operators’ body in ensuring that the members discharge their operational expectations to the admiration of all stakeholders.
The National President, ATBOWATON, Gani Tarzan Balogun, also commended the leadership of the Lagos chapter for effectively turning around the fortunes of the Lagos body in a short time, noting that the unity of purpose exhibited by the leadership was worthy of emulation.
The Chairman, ATBOWATON, Lagos Chapter, Lawal Babatunde, appreciated the NIWA Lagos Area office for its support to the boat operators in the state, without which the association would have run into trouble.
Babatunde listed the achievements of the association to include, increase in capacity to reach the rural areas, the establishment of office at NIWA Marina jetty, training and retraining of members in partnership with regulatory agencies, issuance of identification cards to registered members and
a mandatory list of verifiable operators in Lagos, among others.
He also paid tribute to the founding state chairman, whose leadership impacted positively on the association’s progress.
Babatunde, however, prayed for an accident-free 2022 and encouraged all members to be law-abiding.
