…condoles victims’ families, Niger State Govt
Following the fatal boat accident which happened at Gbajibo in Mokwa LGA of Niger State on Tuesday, the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN) has charged relevant agencies, especially the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to step up sensitization on water transport safety procedures in the country.
WABOTAN rose from its executive meeting on Friday to also condole with the families of victims of the Independence day tragedy, which claimed about 150 lives.
A wooden boat was reported to be carrying 300 people who were traveling from Kwara State to Niger State to attend an event on Tuesday, which was Nigeria’s independence day anniversary. As at Friday evening, 42 bodies had been recovered while a search for 108 missing passengers continued.
In a statement, WABOTAN lamented the loss of lives and expressed grave concern over the recurrence of such mishaps in the same community, recalling a similar incident last year which killed 31 passengers.
“We sympathize with the families of victims that lost their lives in the Niger State boat mishap. We are very sad over this unfortunate incident,” Babatope Fejemirokun, national president of WABOTAN was quoted in the statement, signed by Raymond Gold, National Publicity Secretary of the association.
Fejemirokun continued: “We are calling on the regulators, especially NIWA, to beef up their sensitization programs and enforce policies aimed at ensuring safety on the country’s waterways.
National President of WABOTAN, Comrade Babatope Fejemirokun
“While we have cause to be worried whenever there is a boat mishap, we are more worried over this particular mishap as we recall that there was a similar boat mishap in this same community last year where 31 persons lost their lives.”
Noting that WABOTAN had been at the forefront of advocating for water transport safety, Fejemirokun identified several factors that contributed to the tragedy.
“From the information we have gathered, the accident was caused by water waves leading to a boat break. While water waves are natural, overloading a boat, lack of safe jackets, and travelling at night are all human factors,” he cautioned.
He further buttressed the association’s efforts at training and retraining boat operators to improve safety, particularly in Lagos, where it has partnered with NIWA, NIMASA, and LASWA.
Managing Director, NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji
“Part of our work over the years has been training and retraining stakeholders, especially commercial boat drivers and fishermen, on waterways safety measures. We have done this in partnership with NIWA, NIMASA, LASWA, and other supportive partners here in Lagos state, and it’s been acknowledged that this training is one of the factors behind the decline in boat mishaps on the waterways of Lagos,” Fejemirokun said.
The association offered to extend its training initiatives to Niger State, in a bid to prevent future incidents. “We are open to extending this training to Niger State as we send our heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Niger State and to the families of victims who lost their lives.”
WABOTAN also commended the efforts of volunteers involved in the ongoing search and rescue operations, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges of waterway safety.
