The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has lamented that 75 per cent of the 2,200 boats operating on Lagos waterways are not seaworthy.
Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Dr Sarat Braimah, disclosed this, yesterday, to journalists as part of the investigation carried out on the recent boat mishap experienced on the state’s waterways.
She said boat accidents were caused by human errors from the boat operators to the captains, jetty owners and passengers.
According to her, there are lapses in the operations of local boat operators as they use boats not in good conditions, which develop faults in the middle of the waterways while ferrying passengers.
Braimah, who spoke on the accident that occurred along the Ibeshe/Ikorodu channel en-route Ebute-Ipakodo-Ikorodu, frowned that the boat captain left the water channel for a shallow area on the waterways where he engaged in speed contest causing strong waves that capsized the boat.
She also lamented the anomalies of captains that abandon their boats fully loaded with passengers on the waterways and swim to the shore, thereby endangering their lives.
Braimah also said that passengers were in the habit of refusing to wear life jackets as well as filling manifests at the jetty before boarding the boats.
She lamented that boat operators encouraged passengers to engage in such unsafe practices just because they wanted to make profits.
Braimah added that NIWA would launch the BLUEME initiative in the next three weeks, which would be given to the captain of each boat to alert NIWA and other agencies operating on the waterways during emergencies.
She said the initiative would give the location and the name of the boats during accidents on the waterways.
Meanwhile, National President, Association of Transporters, Boat Operators and Waterways Transportation of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Tarzan Balogun, said purchasing a standard boat cost around N50 million with banks putting stringent collateral conditions to give out loans.
Balogun appealed to NIWA to make a case for boat operators’ involvement in the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and cabotage fund at the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
He also appealed to the ministry to purchase standard boats and give to boat operators a higher purchase plan, noting that this will also help in proper regulation of watercraft.
