The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Bashir Jamoh, says there are untapped opportunities in the inland waterways in the North.
Jamoh, in an interactive session with journalists at a wedding reception of his daughter in Kaduna on Friday, emphasised the need to develop the maritime sector in the North.
According to him, journalists needs to explore research works with a view to disseminating information to the northern public on the importance of the blue economy, maritime safety and other sundry issues.
The NIMASA boss also expressed concern over the rising boat accidents in rivers across the North.
He said, “Sincerely speaking, I want to make one observation, Nigeria is Nigeria regardless of where we come from. But what is disturbing me is the issue of maritime industry in Nigeria, it is lagging behind up North.
“I made an attempt to get a media man from North-West, North-East and from the North-Central, that can be reporting maritime media. I think we’ve reached an advanced stage, signing that agreement so that we can continue to disseminate information about maritime in the northern part of the country. That’s number one.
“Number two, the majority of the people do believe that since we don’t have a sea, we don’t have maritime, that’s not correct. If you go to Egypt, it is an artificial lake they use. You see this River Kaduna, it’s a river. If we dredge it, we would make better use of it. It is as good as sea.
“Whatever resources you can have in our sea, you can have it there. The maritime asset you can have in our sea, you have it here.
“So, I begin to wonder why all these years, we never try to look at the River Kaduna beyond what the River Kaduna should provide. We should be able to see that. So, the water transportation in the North, using the river Kaduna can be utilised for the inhabitants that can use it around that area.”
