The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has charged the Beach Marshals in charge of the nation’s jetties to ensure that they operate with standard life jackets on the waterways, adding that any life jacket who is not up to standard should no longer be used.
The General Manager, Lagos Zone of NIWA, Engineer Sambo Mauzu, gave this warning in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week while parading some boat operators who were arrested for violating safety regulations of the agency.
He also threatened to shut down for one month any jetty which boarded passengers without standard life jackets.
Mauzu also charged them not to board any passenger who fails to wear the life jacket while boarded the boats at the point where he/she is supposed to wear them.
“The Beach Marshals; this is for you, anybody that refuses to wear the life jacket, you should refund the person’s money to him/her and let the person go. If I discover you boarded anybody without life jacket, I will shut down this jetty. Go back there and make sure you do the right thing, you know what to do. If any passenger refuses to wear the life jacket at the point where he is supposed to wear the life jacket, give him back his money please. If any incident happens, we are the ones that are going to bear the consequences not you”
“So I am giving you the last warning, first of all go back there and make sure that all your life jackets are standard, if there is anyone that is worn-out that cannot float anybody on water, please take it out. At any point in time, that gate should be locked; you give the passengers their life jackets while they are seated. When everybody has worn their jackets and are qualified to board that is when you will give them their life jackets and everybody is there at the gate to ensure that the life jackets are worn properly. Safety first if you find out any life jacket that is one worn-out, seize them”
The NIWA Lagos boss also said that the agency has reinvigorated its patrol strategy to ensure compliance by operators, even as he added that the arrested violators will serve as a deterrent to intending violators.
Sambo, said that the reinvigorated patrol will be done without the knowledge of the people assigned to do that just to check if they are actually doing what they are supposed to do.
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