The Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transport of Nigeria (ATBOWTAN) has warned its members to desist from night navigation.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, had earlier cautioned ferry operators against breaking laid-down safety guidelines on waterways, including avoidance of night travels.
Oladeinde made this known when he visited the scene of last Friday night‘s boat mishap in Ikorodu, and said that strict adherence to the rules and guidelines would prevent re-occurrence of such an accident.
“If the rule of no night travelling on the waterways from 6.00p.m had been strictly adhered to by operators, the accident could have been averted", he stated.
Reacting to this, the national president of ATBOWTAN, Mr. Ganiyu Balogun directed all zonal chairmen of the association to inform members that there will not be night navigation with immediate effect.
He warned that any boat caught is strictly on its own.
"This is to in form all the zonal chairman of ATBOWATON in Lagos state that starting from now, Lagos state government, have stop night sailing. if any boat is apprehend by Police, that is the end of it, please with immediate effect pass this message across to your members," he said.
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