Rivers Lawmaker Wants Data On Boat Operators

Following the recent boat mishap that claimed the lives of seven travelers on the Bonny-Port Harcourt marine transport route, the lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency, in the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA), Abinye Pepple has called for the collation of data of all boat operators along the Bonny water way.
Pepple who made this call at a meeting of the boat operators and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) which held at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt said the move was necessary to ensure the safety and security of lives and properties of the people.
The lawmaker said the call for the database was to ensure easy identification of boat operators plying the Bonny – Port Harcourt water ways and to avert preventable accidents such as the one which claimed seven lives recently.
He expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Pepple used the opportunity to call for installation of a metrological radar at the Bonny Port Harcourt jetties to enable boat operators ascertain the periods when travelling conditions are safe.
According to him, “we will ensure that “we introduce a metrological forecast weather radar at the jetty, which is important in the determination of the weather, to ascertain when the weather is clear for boat operators to travel.”
Furthermore, he said, “safety measures would be taken with full sense of commitment and responsibility.

Tonye Nria-Dappa