The Barge Operators Association of Nigeria has said the group mobilised four million twenty-foot equivalent containers from imports and exports from 2019 to 2024.
The President of BOAN, Olabunmi Olumekun, disclosed this in a recent interview with journalists in Lagos.
He added that the association had no fewer than 82 companies with about 2,000 barges and tugboats operating at the nation’s waterways.
“We have recorded tremendous progress since then. We have mobilised around four TEUs from both imports, exports, and other cargo entries.
“The association consists of companies, not individuals. We have no fewer than 82 companies in the association, with about 2,000 barges and tugboats operating on the water. Each barge employs at least 13 crew members, contributing significantly to job creation,” he said.
According to Olumekun, one of the biggest challenges the association is facing is government policies stressing the need for some of the policy issues to be addressed.
He further explained that the group formed an association as a way of regulating their members to ensure safety on waterways.
“We formed the association to help us regulate our members, know who is operating on the water, and ensure safety standards.
“Each barge has an identity number, so if there’s an incident, we can trace which company is responsible,” he said.
The BOAN boss stated that most accidents involving barge were caused by the operators, who were not members of the association, people who entered the business without proper knowledge or understanding.
Olumekun mentioned that there were lots of quacks in the industry.
“We have a lot of quacks in the industry who do not know the industry. They just feel that the barge business brings money, they just jump into business without consulting, without knowing the roots of that business,” he averred.
He said that barge operations in Nigeria were not new.
“We have been moving cargo by barge since the 60s and 70s, especially from Lagos Port to places like Kirikiri and Badagry, but unfortunately, we tend to forget the past. What we need to do is learn from the past and improve on it,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, BOAN recently decried the N50m bank bond slammed on them by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority before they could be issued an operating licence.(Punch)
