Diri Urges FG  To Prioritise Waterways Safety , Says Kwara Boat Mishap Tragic

.... NIWA Commiserates With Families 

 

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has bemoaned Monday’s boat accident in Kwara State that claimed more than 100 lives.

Describing the mishap as sad and unfortunate, Governor Diri commiserated with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the state government, the families of the victims and the people of Kwara State.

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday,  said the tragedy was a sad reminder of similar incidents in the riverine areas, particularly in Bayelsa and other coastal states in the country.

Diri said such incidents resulting in deaths would be minimised if the Federal Government, which is in charge of the waterways, took concrete steps to prioritise safety on the country’s rivers.

He urged the Federal Government to come up with a holistic safety policy that covers not only the air and roads but also the waterways.

He contended that if that is done, operators of river transportation in the country would be compelled to comply with such measures.

Diri further stated that a situation where operators ignore safety rules to overload their boats had led to avoidable loss of lives.

“The boat accident that claimed over 100 lives in Kwara State is really tragic.

“On behalf of the government and people of Bayelsa State, I express our condolences to my brother-governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and people of the state.

“I also commiserate with the families of the victims of the tragedy.

“This incident is a sad reminder of what we face in Bayelsa, other coastal states of the Niger Delta and in similar riverine areas in other parts of the country.

“The Federal Government, which controls our waterways, needs to put in place a holistic transportation policy that also ensures safety of passengers on our rivers.

“Lives are being lost due to lack of measures to guarantee safety on waterways. The focus had been on road infrastructure and air transportation. The waterways are equally important as an alternative means of transportation.”

Meanwhile, the Management of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is deeply saddened by the Boat mishap that occurred on 12th June, 2023, along the Jebba Lake channel in the Lafiagi-Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State in which about 103 passengers are feared to have died.

Jibril Darda’u, General Manager (Corporate Affairs), NIWA in a statement made available to newsmen on behalf of management on Wednesday, 14th June, 2023 stated that: “We condole with the families of those that have lost their loved ones, and are particularly concerned with the huge number of casualties.

“This accident was clearly an unfortunate and avoidable one. Preliminary investigations through our Area Manager in Minna/Kwara Area Office revealed that the boat driver and wedding guests were on the ill-fated voyage about 2:30am, which speaks volumes about the disregard for the laws regulating Inland Waterways navigation. Furthermore, for a wooden boat to have allegedly been carrying more than 200 passengers at once without using life jackets and sailing in the night was certainly gross-overloading and misconduct.

“While we extend our commiserations to the government and people of Kwara State, we will in line with extant laws and regulations, investigate this callous incident and prosecute those found culpable.

“NIWA as an Authority will not fold its arms and allow reckless boat operators flaunting our safety guidelines and killing innocent commuters.”