The Managing Director of National Island Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, has donated 300 life jackets to Gbajibo and its environs to forestall future boat mishaps, adding that henceforth, water travel without a life jacket is an offence.
Oyebamiji warned boat owners to desist from overloading and travelling on the waterways at night, declaring that river Marshalls have been inaugurated to ensure that the prohibition on night travel is maintained.
The Managing Director stated this during a sympathy visit and presentation of 300 life jackets at Gbajibo in Mokwa local government over the incident of the boat accident.
He said the last boat mishap that occurred recently would not have happened if the river marshals had been inaugurated and on the ground, as well as the lack of adhering to waterways codes had been adhered to by the boat owner.
It would be recalled that a boat conveying about 300 passengers capsized at Gbajibo on Independence Day with only 150 people rescued alive and about 100 persons still missing.
“Our River Marshalls have been inaugurated and will now be operating shifts from 7 pm to 6 am to ensure no boat owner operates in the night. It will not be palatable for both boat owners and travellers caught travelling at night”
“We will also collaborate with the Niger state Government to bring a boat for an ambulance and another for surveillance to ensure quick response during boat mishaps to avert lost of lives,” he said.
Earlier, the District Head of Gbajibo, Alhaji Mahmudu, called on NIWA, Niger state Government and HYPPADEC to urgently come up with ways to mitigate future boat mishaps not only at Gbajibo but across the country.
He lamented: “Gbajibo has recorded a lot of boat mishaps with a lot of lives lost. We are appealing to you to provide us with marine police, flying boats for quick response, and more life jackets because what we have is not enough.”
The Niger state chairman of the Boat Owners Association, Attahiru Bawa Isah, attributed most boat accidents lack of following waterways codes by his members, such as overloading, no life jackets, and quality of boats, among others.
He expressed pain at the constant loss of lives at the waterfronts annually, saying the Association is prepared to work with the Agency alongside the Niger state ministry for Transportation, NSEMA and HYPPADEC to tackle the situation.
