Boat Misharp: NIWA Tasks Drivers, Passengers On Safety Rules

Following the incessant accidents in the nation’s waterways across the country, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has called on boat drivers and passengers to always adhere to safety rules and guidelines regulating water transportation.
The Authority also appealed to water users to always use their life jackets, desist from sailing at night, and overloading of passengers.
NIWA said the use of standard boats and not overloading, as well as not over speeding the boats are key guidelines for safe passenger transportation
General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NIWA, Mr Jibril Dardau, who stated this in a statement issued to newsmen in Lagos, appealed to passengers and boat drivers to “obey the rules and guidelines regulating passenger transportation”.
The Authority, he said “ recently distributed life jackets and some patrol vessels to all its area offices across the country to enhance surveillance and monitoring of activities on the waterways”.
He expressed displeasure over the recurring boat accidents across Nigeria in spite of the efforts put in place by the agency.
“The authority noted with sadness the unfortunate boat accident that occurred on May 4 at about 11:00 p.m. in Mai-Adua Local Government Area of Katsina State in which 15 persons lost their lives.
“We are greatly pained that this mishap occurred, despite all the measures the Authority has put in place to forestall such mishaps.
NIWA insisted that we will not relent in our efforts to curb these occurrences within our inland waterways,” he said.

By: Stories by Chinedu Wosu