By Joshua Yousouph
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) disclosed on Wednesday that the boat that was involved in a recent mishap in Lagos, which claimed the lives of 17 people, actually loaded at a container jetty which had been shut down since last June.
Recall that on July 8, a boat enroute Ibeshe from the Mile 2 area of Lagos had an accident after allegedly drifting under a barge leading to the death of 17 persons, including the boat Captain.
The NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, while addressing journalists during a tour of the area of the mishap said the jetty from where the boat took-off used to be for loading containers, but it had been shut down due to certification issues.
She noted that NIWA, together with the joint committee on barge operations which include the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had closed down the jetty and also stationed Police officers there for about six months to prevent boat operations.
In her words: “We have been monitoring them (boats) and they have not been operating. When I heard about the incident, I called the owner of the jetty asking why a boat loaded from his jetty and he said he was not aware. Those people went there to load illegally.
One of the staff of the owner of the jetty who is an eyewitness said he saw them loading and questioned them and they said they were waiting for a boat coming from their village to take them as they were going for the just-concluded festivities.
“He said the boat could not take more than 10 passengers and there were 17 people on the boat, including the Captain. The boat went under the barge and the weather also contributed”.
“The weather is bad and boat operators and passengers should not ply at night because of the wave. Our jetties open by 6am and close by 7pm everyday”, she explained.
The Ovori of Ibeshe, Oba Alani Gausu during the condolence visit by NIWA alongside with some boat operators’ association chieftains to the traditional ruler and the family of the deceased, noted that the boat mishap was caused by human error and negligence on the part of the operator.
The traditional ruler said the Captain of the boat carried passengers beyond he capacity of the boat. He lamented that most boat operators on Lagos waterways do not have formal training and orientation in handling boats, adding that some of them are underage, addicted to drugs as well as use inferior boats with big engines thereby leading to accidents on the waterways.
Oba Alani Gausu narrated an instance when a boat ferried 10 passengers along with several gallons of petroleum products from Ijegun area to Ibeshe, noting that there would have been a disaster if there was a spark.
He however called on the regulatory agencies, boat operators’ associations, Lagos State government and other stakeholders to synergize in addressing the issue of boat accidents in riverine areas to avoid further loss of human lives and properties.
“The major problem is human error; things that we neglect as unimportant. Boat operators are dealing with people’s lives. They lack orientation and training. Most of these operators start their boats without checking if the boats are in perfect shape, nor do they have life jackets for the passengers.
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“You see underage people handling big engine boats and inferior boats, thereby risking people’s lives. They also over-speed on the waters, operators should know they are not transporting objects, but human beings.
“The boat captain did not check the level of fuel and oil in the boat engine. It was after pushing the boat to the water that he realised he needed to mix the oil and fuel in the engine of the boat,” he narrated.
Also speaking, the NIWA Head of Marine, Mrs Elsie Egwuatu charged boat operators and passengers to be safety-conscious because of climate change, adding that the water level as well as the waves are very high at nights.
She cautioned that, “boat operators must keep to safety rules and regulations, such as no night traveling, and no over-loading. On the part of the passengers, they should ensure that the operators keep to safety rules and regulations. When they board boats, they should demand for life jackets and that the captain of the boat does not carry beyond its capacity and not travel at night.
“The incidents have happened, but we are working on ensuring that there is no re-occurrence and to make water transport a safe mode of transportation,” Egwuatu stated.
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