From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, has tasked all management staff to up their efforts in revenue generation, accountability and operational efficiency.
Giving the charge in Lokoja, Kogi State, during the agency’s management retreat over the weekend, Oyebamiji expressed dismay that some of the agency’s offices were underperforming, with their annual revenue as low as one N1 million.
Oyebamiji said “this situation is simply unacceptable,” stating that management has already provided resources, incentives and training opportunities but not getting the expected results. Therefore, “stricter measures will be enforced to ensure accountability and drive performance.”
In debt recovery, he explained that many area managers did not cooperate with the debt recovery consultant appointed in 2024, with the debtors either untraceable or showing inconsistent financial records, thereby making recovery efforts difficult.
NIWA’s renewed efforts towards improved revenue drive follows its additional responsibilities from the incumbent federal government, such as increased revenue remittances from the port development levy and the extant 50 per cent revenue deduction at source.
Others include improved service delivery to meet the expectations of maritime stakeholders, as well as enhanced collaboration with sister-agencies in the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to improve efficiency.
To drive these expectations successfully, Oyebamiji explained that the retreat would also address capacity building and teamwork to enable the officers meet set goals.
According to him, “this retreat is not just about evaluating past performance, it is also about strategising for the future. I encourage all participants to engage actively, exchange ideas and work collectively towards making NIWA a leading agency in the marine and blue economy sector.”
