•Authority begins campaign to curb accidents
The Ikorodu, Lagos boat mishap probe panel has indicted the State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) over the high casualty figure.
The Olajide Tairu-led panel said the authority’s slow response to the boat operator’s distress call led to the death of eight of the 20 passengers when it capsized.
It said the boat was not overloaded, which many thought initially led to the mishap, pointing out that 20 passengers, including the quarter master and the decker, were on board.
Its report came amid plans by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to flag off an an enlightenment on the use of life jackets by passengers and operators.
The campaign begins, with a town hall meeting at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) jetty in Igbokoda, Ondo State, tomorrow. It will continue at the NIWA Ferry Terminal in CMS, Lagos, on Thursday.
Submitting the panel’s report to the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, the panel’s chairman Mr Olajide Tairu, said the death toll of the April 2, accident could have been less if rescue operations had been spontaneous.
Tairu said: “We affirmed through our findings as well as claims by survivors, that the boat was not over loaded as it carried only 20 passengers in addition to the quarter master and the decker. We, however, found out that rescue operations could have been better, as much havoc was caused by the delay in responding to the distress call from the boat operator.”
Tairu, who observed that water transportation is a major part of the public transit system being developed by the government, said the panel came up with recommendations that could prevent future accidents on the waterways.
Receiving the report, Opeifa said government is committed to zero accidents on its waterways.
He said life jacket is a must for all operators, noting: “You must ensure that all your passengers make use of life jackets. On our part as government we are making sure that we distribute enough life jackets to all boat operators. Life jackets will be a compulsory thing on our waterways, and we are appealing to all operators and commuters to use life jackets anytime they want to travel on water.”
Opeifa urged the operators to take weather reports from the Ministry of Transportation and other agencies seriously especially during the rainy season to avoid being caught unawares by the unpredictable tidal waves.
He said while accidents are largely unpredictable, operators must cooperate with the government to ensure that they are reduced.
Government had started the sweeping of the lagoon to clear the waterways of all floating objects that might pose danger to the lives of boat users, whether in the day or at night.
Appealing to commuters not to shun the waterways because of accidents, Opeifa assured the public that the government would act on the recommendations to ensure that the waterways are safer for commuters.
The state, he said, is presently moving about two million people monthly on its waterways, adding that there are plans to move this up to five million before the end of the year.
“We are currently moving two million people and we intend to move this up to five million by year end. This recommendations which I believed had inputs from relevant stakeholders as well as experts on the area would help boost our response capacity to making our waterways safer for all operators and commuters. We would ensure that all the interventions which are making our roads safer would be duplicated on the waterways for the benefit of our people. We are committed to a safer means of transportation and we would not rest on our oars till we achieve this,” he said.
NIWA said the enlightenment slated for Ondo and Lagos States is similar to that held in Niger State following the boat mishaps in Malele and Nupeko.
Its spokesman, Mr. Tayo Fadile said the campaign is part of efforts to stem the frequent boat mishaps in these states.
He said: “During the town hall meetings, the Marine Department of the Authority will educate waterways and boat users on the need to always wear a life jacket and how to make use of it.
“Other safety rules and regulations will be explained to the stakeholders at the event, while hundreds of life jackets and other informative materials will be given out free to boat users by the Authority,” he further said.
NIWA had earlier explained that the on-going awareness campaign would be carried out in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
