George Moghalu, the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)
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Tue Apr 27 2021
The Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Chief George Moghalu, has warned aspirants for this year’s governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State against politics of bitterness, rancour and campaign of calumny.
Moghalu gave the warning in his campaign office, Awka, Anambra State during an interactive session with elders of the party under the auspices of elders’ forum.
“I urge my fellow aspirants and party members to eschew politics of bitterness, rancour and campaign of calumny because such have the capacity of tearing down the party.
You have advocated moving cargoes from Lagos seaports to the Onitsha inland port, is there any progress?
Actually, the meeting was among the management of NIWA, barge operators we have already licensed, representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the president of the Barge Owners Association of Nigeria. We met to look at the programmes we have, one of which has to do with the multimodal transport system – the movement of cargo between Lagos and Onitsha, which is also meant to ease traffic on our roads.
I have also met with the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Importers Association of Nigeria in Nnewi, still in Anambra State. I also met with the traders’ association. That tells you the extent we have gone in this regard. And at every meeting, we had in attendance representatives of the different traders’ associations and those of the importers.
I’m committed to creating clean, healthy environment in Anambra – Moghalu
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Managing Director- National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Anambra Gubernatorial Frontline Aspiriant, Dr George Moghalu has reaffirmed his commitment in tackling the unhealthy environments in Anambra state if given the opportunity to govern the state in this year’s gubernatorial election.
He said, “As a result of daily human and increased commercial activities, the quantity of solid waste generated within Anambra state has continued to grow at an alarming rate. Such municipal waste is not recycled or adequately disposed off in a manner commensurate with its generation. Thus, roads and other public and private locations have become dumping sites. The situation continues to worsen because moribund environmental laws have also emboldened defaulters to continue to perpetuate such a harmful practice. (ASWMA Law).
How have you been coping with managing the affairs of NIWA all these years?
Those who knew a little about the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) when I took over as MD knew that only few people knew about it. It was bad that people didn’t even know that it is a parastatal under the Ministry of Transportation. I saw that NIWA was under reported as a major critical challenge. Because I know that for you to make the needed impact, people must know that you exist. We needed to bring NIWA to the consciousness of Nigerians, get them to know who we are, our responsibilities and get them to share in our challenges and aspirations. When they know what we stand for and our constitutional responsibility, if we have challenges, they can buy into them and see the extent they can partner in solving the problems. I saw NIWA as under-reported. I want to place it on record that I have been receiving encouragement from the media.
Moving from the auditorship of the APC to MD of NIWA was actually nothing difficult because the truth about it is that there is a level you get to in management and everything is about the same; it is about taking decisions; it is about being responsible; it is about leading people.
You have been at NIWA for over a year now; what would you say have been your achievements so far?
If we are to be talking about achievements, we will spend quite a lot of time doing that. But let me say that when I was appointed the MD of NIWA, I took cognizance of one major challenge; and that was the fact that NIWA was under-reported. People didn’t know about NIWA; people didn’t know that we even existed and some people didn’t even know that we are under the Ministry of Transportation. We confronted that challenge and by the grace of God and with the support we have received from various media organisations, we have been able to move from obscurity to where we are today.