By Bose Adelaja & Olatide Adewoyin
CITIZENS COMPASS— The last quarter of every year seems to be a special period to navigate waterways particularly in Lagos State due to the clustering water weeds popularly known as water hyacinth.
Water hyacinth features floating flowering nature which travels widely with spongy tissue.
Sometimes, the period of infestation calls for extraordinary vigilance and expertise as many boat operators guard their propellers jealously to avoid the unforeseen.
Recently, some ferry passengers shared their experiences of water hyacinth infestation while navigating the waterways.
One of them, Adeola Akinwale, narrated an unexpected moment with Citizens Compass when she boarded a ferry from Ipakodo in Ikorodu enroute Falomo on Tuesday.
According to her, the journey was expected to last for 26 minutes but it ended up in an hour due to the presence of the water hyacinth.
“The truth is that water hyacinth increases travel time, for instance, e boarded from Ipakodo enroute Falomo at about 10a.m. The normal navigation period is 25 minutes but we ended up spending an hour because water hyacinth has occupied almost a quarter of the waterways,” said the Lagos-based publisher.
Last Friday, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lagos Area Office, deployed a task force for strategic operational measures aimed at tackling this infestation around the Ikorodu axis.
For maximum results, NIWA deployed heavy-duty equipment including swamp devils and harvesters among others to pave ways for its annual clearance of water hyacinth and ensure maximum satisfaction for waterways users across the state.
On Monday, October 27, 2025, NIWA team led by its Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, embarked on a monitoring visit to the Ipakodo terminal in Ikorodu in continuation of the annual clearance of the water hyacinth.
Speaking, she assured regular clearance of the water weeds at various jetties.
Engr Braimah said the clearance was to ensure safety of waterways users from time to time.
Going down memory lane, she said the infestation migrated into Nigeria from other parts of the world. “It is a menace that has been disrupting navigation on Nigeria waterways. It comes out yearly between July and December and that has made clearing of the water a continuous exercise to avoid accidents on the waterways adding that the exercise would be extended to other waterways outside Lagos.
Engr Braimah expressed happiness that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) was collaborating with NIWA to tackle the menace.
