BOAT MISHAP: Godfrey Bivbere, 22 Others Escaped Death On Lagos Waters

By Roland Ekama,Lagos

 

Frontline Maritime journalist ,Mr . Godfrey Bivbere narrowly escaped death on  Lagos waters while travelling from Agbara to Liverpool in Apapa  , Lagos.

 

Bivbere, a staff of Vanguard Newspaper and 22 other passengers, on Wednesday morning , fortunately got rescued when  speed boat they were travelling on suddenly capsized in the middle of the lagoon

 

He told our correspondent on Saturday, via the telephone that  no life was lost in the mishap which had two females aboard.

 

The journalist who hail from Delta State said It took the timely intervention of naval personnel to rescue all the passengers afloat.

 

The journalist said recklessness on the part of the captain led to the mishap , saying ” it was as a result of excessive speeding and carelessness of the boat pilot, who disregarded all pleas to reduce the speed of the boat.

 

According to Bivbere,  all the victims were rescued alive because they had life jackets strapped on them, which made them float in the water before the rescue team arrived.

 

“The boat pilot apparently felt embarrassed by his slow movement suddenly, started pursuing the boat that overtook us.

 

“At first no one said a word until he became so obsessed with the pursuit. Just before we got to Ijegun we started telling the young man to take it easy but he wouldn’t listen, he disregarded our call for caution.

 

“A little after Alakija, he wanted to manoeuvre and the boat capsized and threw us in the water.

 

“All 23, including the pilot found ourselves facing death. Divine luck was however on our side as Navy officials who were on drill nearby came to our rescue with other boats around.

 

“All 23 of us came out alive to the glory of God. This definitely, calls for Thanksgiving.”

 

The survivor, who said he had seen a doctor for medical attention, therefore, called on both Federal and State governments to launch a-24 hour patrol of rescue team on waterways in order to respond promptly, as well as save lives during an emergency.