Oluyinka Onigbinde
Boat passengers plying Lagos waters have lamented the rickety state of boats being used in the state, the passengers stated that some of the boats are disasters waiting to happen while bemoaning the attitude of the regulators.
Our correspondents who also visited the Apapa jetty where passengers going to Ikorodu are loaded confirmed that many of the wooden boats are in terrible condition, with no safety gadgets and accessories.
A regular passenger who identified himself as Seun Olowe, who travels from Ikorodu to Apapa everyday informed our correspondent that many of the boat passengers who come from Ikorodu have continuously lamented the state of the boats, even as he added that several times the boats stop in the middle of the waters due to faulty engines or bad state of the boat.
He said: “This is not the first time we are complaining about the state of the boats, but it seems the regulators are just concerned about their fee, they pay no attention to the lives of the people, it’s unfair.
Pointing at some of the boats at the jetty, he lamented that: “In fact, these ones you are seeing are even still better, if you see some, they are worse than these, those are the ones they call open coffins and many of them are just so bad, but you don’t have a choice but to use them, if you must get to work early”.
Another passenger; Oyinkansola Oyewo who spoke to our correspondent, also decried the state of the boats, while calling on relevant agencies to arrest the situation before it leads to further loss of lives and properties.
She said: “Yes, sometimes when we are on water, our hearts are in our mouth, because anything can just happen and they will tell you that the boat has stopped working, I have had cause to change boats about four times from Ikorodu to Apapa because those boats are old and not in good condition.
“And I think this issue of water hyacinth is really disturbing them; you need to come to Ikorodu and see what water hyacinth has done to the waters, you can barely even see the waters, and when this hyacinth hooks the ‘half-alive’ engine, it will just stop working and sometimes we are stranded for more than 20 minutes before another boat will come, it’s just so bad coupled with the fact that many of the life jackets are worn out and have expired” she lamented.
When contacted about what the association of boat owners is doing in ensuring that rickety boats are taken off our waters, the Lagos state Chairman of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON); Mr Lawal Babatunde stated that the association is working to ensure that the boats are in good condition.
He said members of the association have been warned not to use rickety boats, this is even as he lamented that the presence of water hyacinth on the waters is damaging boat engines.
He said that the association has written to the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Lagos Waterways Authority (LASWA) regarding the removal of water hyacinth and wrecks on the waterways.
He also said that the price of boat engines has skyrocketed and that it cost over N10 million to get a new engine of 200hp, while it cost about N2.5 million to get a tokunbo engine.
“So you see, sometimes it’s not our fault, boat spare parts are very costly nowadays, even the engine cost about N10 million to get a new 200HP, while it cost about N2.5 million to get a tokunbo, that you don’t know if it is in good shape”, he said.
When contacted as to what the agency is doing as regards rickety boats, the General Manager LASWA, Mr Damilola Emmanuel said the authority always conduct random checks on all boats plying the waterways, to ensure that they meet the minimum safety requirements
He stated that where minimum safety requirements were not met, withdrawal notices were issued or such boats are sometimes referred to a boat maintenance yard with a checklist to fix their boat before allowing them back on the waterways.
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According to him, “LASWA always conduct random checks on all boats plying the waterways, we also carry out a bi-annual inspection exercise to ascertain their seaworthiness and any boat found wanting or that does not meet the minimum safety requirements were issued withdrawal notice and we referred them to boat maintenance yard with a checklist to fix their boat before allowing then back on the waterways”.
“On the Lagos inland waterways, we have a large number of locally-made wooden or fibre boats popularly called ‘banana boats’ asides from the modern ferries that are just coming up gradually on our waterways. So, what is important to us as a regulator is to ensure that all the boats that we may have on the waterways comply with laid down safety measures or procedures and we also ensure all ferries meet the minimum safety requirements that will guarantee the safety of all passengers at all time” he said
All efforts to get the reaction of NIWA proved abortive. When contacted for her reaction, the Lagos Area Manager, NIWA; Mrs. Sarat Braimoh told our correspondent that she is at a seminar and cannot speak to our correspondent on phone regarding the issue.
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