Ondo state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has called for effective action to free waterways of water hyacinth that is impeding the development of water transport as an alternative mode.

Making the call in Akure during a courtesy call by a delegation from the Nigerian Maritime and Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Thursday, he said the waterways could serve as a major means of transport in Nigeria.

“When water hyacinth is properly harvested, it could be used for something else, even for biogas,” Akeredolu said while urging something be done to harvest the hycinth that that had clogged waterways in Nigeria.

Expressing the readiness of the state government to partner with NIMASA to develop the waterways in the state, the governor also said it was time for establishment of a department for maritime studies in any of the state’s higher institutions.

“Most boats in our coastal areas were built by our people. They have mastered that art, they have skills and we can tap into it,” he said.

The Executive Director (Operations) of NIMASA, Rotimi Fasakin said the visit was to leverage on the state’s efforts to make the waterways pollution-free as well as sensitise people on the riverine areas on security and adequate management of maritime space.

He also promised to work on the possibility of making the Araromi-Lagos route a reality to enhance transportation on the waterways.

“All these are geared toward making our impact felt in a larger dimension. Ondo State constitutes a large portion of Nigeria’s expansive coastline, so it’s important that the state should be able to exploit the resources of the marine environment,” Fasakin said.