…ATBOWATON neglects NIWA training, other safety measures
In a bid to curb the menace of boat mishaps in Lagos, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has mandated that henceforth boats must have speedometers, three lifebuoys and a diver.
The NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, gave this instruction during an engagement with boat operators and waterways stakeholders at the Authority’s Lagos office on Wednesday.
Braimah expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of boat operators in the state, especially members of Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) who refuse trainings and basic safety precautions.
Her words: “Going forward, boats must have a speedometer. It will allow laymen that know when the boats are overspeeding. We want to ensure that they have lifebuoys on the boat, so if there is an incident lifebuoys can be thrown into the water for the victims. Most passengers wear lifejacket but take it off iwhen they are on the boat. There must be a life-saver (diver). Someone that can swim, apart from the captain. We call them lifeguards on the boat in case of accidents.”
According to the NIWA Lagos boss, having a minimum three lifebuoys and a diver onboard every boat will give the passengers better survival chances in event of mishaps.
“From these two accidents that have happened this year, we’ve been able to analyse our investigations and we saw that most are by human errors. I mean maintenance of the boat itself because most of them have faulty engines.
“At Ikorodu, we inspected and approved ten boats yesterday and only those approved will be allowed to operate for now. All other boats have been instructed to move to our base at Ikorodu for inspection. Most of them are single hall boats cannot withstand stress. Over 75 percent of the boats aren’t seaworthy, they are scraps,” Braimah said.
She observed that although NIWA inspected andregistered of the boats, the operators have failed to do proper maintenance of the boats while others have exceeded their lifespan.
Also speaking, the President of ATBOWATON, Mr. Ganiyu Balogun, pleaded with the NIWA Area Manager to help boat operators through the blue economy Ministry to get the government to purchase quality boats for water transportation.
Balogun maintained that refunds by boat operators would be made to the government in space of three years.
“Today the cheapest boat for waterways can’t be purchased for less than N6million. We appeal to government through the blue economy to acquire these boats and the money would be refunded. This will help promote a better water transport system and reduce the risk of accidents from low quality boats,” he said.
