As part of measures to control boat mishaps and subsequent loss of lives and properties, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) says boat operators and owners of jetties who breach safety regulations risk a seven-year jail term.
The NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah made this known during a sensitization programme to some riverine communities in Lagos last week.
The communities visited are: Sagbo Koji in Amuwo Odofin, Irede in Oriade and Ibeshe.
Braimah, who led the visit, revealed that the newly-gazetted Transport Code of the Federal Government is part of efforts to curb the incessant loss of lives caused by non-compliance with waterways regulation.
According to the NIWA Lagos Area Manager, the Ministry of Justice has just gazetted a new waterway regulation; which stipulates seven years imprisonment for community leaders who operate jetties at night as well as private operators where boats are overloaded after 7 pm. The same penalty goes for operators and passengers who fail to use life-jackets and are non-compliant to waterways regulation.
While sensitising residents at Sagbo-Koji, one of the riverine communities under Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Braimah said: “We are here to rub minds with your community in order to curb boat accidents and incessant loss of lives. You can tell us where the government has lapses so we can improve, while we work together to remove the human problems. Most boat accidents are result of human elements; which is non-compliance to regulations”
“We have repeated it severally that there should be no night sailing from 7pm. It is better to stay alive and travel the next day than to endanger your life at night. Boat drivers should have licenses because training is key. Don’t patronize unregistered boats and unnamed boats. There will be NIWA stickers to identify the registered boat”, she noted.
Addressing boat drivers, she warned them not to drive boats without paddles as they would be unable to ferry such boats to the nearest shore if the boat engine suddenly fails.
However, the Community Youth Leader at Sagbo-Koji, Mr Bobby Sanni advised NIWA to co-opt the community youths in the task force, because most of the Marine Police officers and NIWA Task Force officials round-up their duty at jetties around 6pm every day, but the youths could assist in the enforcement by night fall.
During the tour, Engr. Sarat Braimah directed the seizure of substandard life-jackets found at retail stores around the communities, even as she described substandard life-jackets to be as deadly as fake drugs.
While donating authentic life-jackets at the communities, the NIWA boss also seized the opportunity to differentiate between fake or substandard life-jackets and standard ones.
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Other safety defaulting areas pointed out by the NIWA boss in boat operations include; dangerous driving and over-speeding, driving rickety and leaky boats, passenger manifest violation, non-availability of fire extinguisher, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, fighting at jetties, obstructing and assault of taskforce on duty.
The community leaders, Baale Anthony Avime of Sagbo Koji; Baale Houeto Bernard of Whla Koji and Baale Sohome of Bishop Koji commended NIWA for the sensitization visit.
Also speaking at Irede, another riverine community in Oriade LG, Imam Kareem Isah lamented that some passengers refuse to wear the life jackets, because they are too dirty and smelly. He however pleaded for the support of the government to make provision for standard life jackets to all boat operators.
On his part, the the Ovori of Ibeshe, Oba Alani Gausu during the sensitization in Ibeshe community, noted that there are not enough boats to transport commuters in Ibeshe. He however called on the government to provide more boats to ply and convey residents of Ibeshe in order to curb the menace of overloading on the waterways.
In her response, the NIWA Area Manager assured that the agency would partner the youths in the community to achieve its mandate, see to the provision of more standard life jackets and deployment of boats to the areas.
She also gave out emergency numbers of NIWA to community leaders and boat operators at the different communities.
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