On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, Nigerians were presented with another sad moment when news filtered that no fewer than 25 persons reportedly lost their lives in two separate boat accidents in Jigawa and Bayelsa states.
The development was not pleasant to many Nigerians who expressed worry over its frequency.
“This has become a recurring decimal and it is unacceptable. Nigerians cannot continue to die like animals because the government has refused to do its job.
“It is a sad development and I just hope that those charged with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of water travellers would sit up and do their jobs,” a concerned Nigerian volunteered.
It was reported that a boat carrying passengers crossing the Gamoda River at Nahuce village in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, had capsized on the fateful day, killing five passengers with 15 others missing.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Jigawa State Command, Lawan Shiisu Adam, said: “Information from a reliable source revealed that a canoe conveying 20 passengers to cross over the Gamoda River at Nahuce village in Taura LGA capsized, and five people died, while the remaining passengers are still missing.
“Upon receipt of the report, a team of policemen in collaboration with local divers and good Samaritans raced to the scene on a rescue mission.
“Five of the passengers, including Abdurra’uf Mohd, 15 years; Suleman Ali, 20; Shafiu Mohd, 25; Ado Nafance, 75; and Alasan Mohd, 16, were dead and they all hailed from Taura Local Government Area.”
In a related development, 20 people were equally reported dead in a boat mishap in Bayelsa State on the same Wednesday.
According to a report, the engine of the wooden market boat popularly known as ‘Denghe market boat’ carrying over 30 passengers exploded along Ezetu Community River in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The Bayelsa State Police Command’s Spokesperson, ASP Musa Muhammed, who confirmed the incident said: “The local boat travelling from Ekeni Community in Southern Ijaw to Yenagoa had an accident and sank.
“About 20 persons were reported to have lost their lives. Efforts are ongoing to recover their corpses.”
Commenting on the development, the Chairman of Maritime Workers’ Union in Bayelsa State, Mr Ipgansi Ogoniba, said the boat caught fire in the middle of the river while it was sailing to Okubie Community and burnt some of the passengers onboard.
Also speaking, the chairperson of the Association of Coastal and Waterways Communities of Nigeria in Bayelsa State, Odede Dinikpete Tina blamed the high casualty figure on the operator’s failure to comply with the established safety protocols.
She noted that refusal or failure to abide by such safety guidelines as wearing life jackets while onboard contributed a great deal to the high casualty rate.
She lamented that despite several enlightenment campaigns which the association had carried out in the past to sensitise the people on the need to adhere to every safety protocol, they have remained adamant and unwilling to wear life jackets.
She, therefore, urged the state government to intensify efforts in linking more coastal communities by road so as to curb incessant and unavoidable loss of lives in water transportation.
On his part, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, also expressed sadness over the boat accident, urging boat operators to always observe safety procedures on the state’s waterways.
He also promised that investigation would be conducted to unravel the cause of the accident as a measure to prevent future similar occurrences.
Of course the death of a popular Nollywood actor, JohnPaul Odonwodo, popularly called Junior Pope, in River Niger, Anambra State, earlier in the year, is still fresh in the minds of many Nigerians.
For a couple of years now, many Nigerians have lost their lives in boat accidents that happened across the country, including the northern parts of the country.
The northern part, which ordinarily, has not much water body, has had a fair share of the mishaps.
Most southern states, particularly the Niger Delta region, the South-West and parts of the South-East region, are coastal areas, where water transport systems thrive.
However, in the last couple of months, cases of boat mishaps have continued unabated.
The International Centre for Investigative Journalism, ICRC, in October 2023 reported that over the past six years, Nigeria has witnessed a troubling trend in boat accidents.
The ICIR data said that about 1,204 lives were lost between January 2018 and October 2023, which shows the grim reality of safety concerns on the nation’s waterways.
Also, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, CILT, disclosed that more than 300 lives were lost to boat mishaps across the country in 2023 alone.
Experts blame the rising trend on the failure of governments at all levels to entrench an efficient and effective safety system in the waterways.
Those who hold this view wondered why operators would not provide ordinary life jackets for their passengers.
They also stressed that where jackets were provided, some passengers would insist that they don’t want to put on the jacket, and they would be allowed to enter the boat instead of forcing such passengers to disembark.
There are others who attributed the majority of the water accidents to the use of wooden canoes for transport in many communities instead of embracing modern boats.
Others blamed the development on overloading.
Speaking on the development, a marine engineer, Kayode Johnson told DAILY POST that safety of lives and property at sea or rivers should be of paramount concern to everyone, especially in the light of recurring boat mishaps.
He lamented that boat mishaps have resulted in tragic loss of lives even as it posed significant economic and environmental risks.
He chronicled recent ferry and boat fatalities recorded, including “the ones involving the five Nollywood actors and crew in Asaba, Delta State, three medical students in Calabar, Cross River State; three passengers in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos State; eight dead and estimated 100 persons declared missing in Borgu district, Niger State, and eight passengers in Anambra State as sore points of what the water transport had become in recent time.”
He attributed the overwhelming cause of the boat disasters to “the occurrence of one or a combination of such factors as overloading, non-use of lifejackets, adverse weather conditions, human error, sub-standard boats and ferries, mechanical failures like engine breakdowns, inadequate safety measures, absence of navigational aids, and non-availability of search and rescue services, as well as regulatory gaps, among others.”
He called on the agencies responsible for safety on waterways to have a closer look at the deficit in safety culture and non-adherence to safety measures.
“Safety of lives and property at sea/rivers should be of paramount concern to everyone, especially in the light of recurring boat mishaps.
“These incidents not only result in tragic loss of lives but also pose significant economic and environmental risks.
“The pervasive poor safety culture has permeated our inland waterways transport system. The struggle for turf among the government’s agencies on who oversees what constitutes a major impediment to effective monitoring and enforcement of the applicable safety laws and regulations.
“Even those with knowledge of what should be done seem paralysed by the uncertainties surrounding areas of operation.
“I am of the opinion that all stakeholders that constitute the circle of responsibility in safety of water transport must work in collaboration to improve safety consciousness of ferry operators, jetty owners and persons that use waterways transport,” he said.
A Professor of Transportation, Samuel Odewunmi, noted that overloading was a major cause of boat mishap, even as he also blamed the operators for engaging in activities that predisposed them to accidents, like drinking alcohol and consuming other dangerous hard substances.
“There is the issue of overload. In most of those boats, the operators carry more than their normal capacity. We normally have many of them that are overloaded. So, with the smallest turbulence, the boat just capsizes.
“The second reason is the condition of those boats. If you go into history, there were cases when the engine just stopped midstream.
“This happens when there is high tide. In most of our rivers, the current is so high and when this happens, the boat starts drifting, and the next thing that will follow is capsizing,” he told DAILY POST.
He also emphasized the importance of proper regulation, saying, “Where there is regulation, especially in Lagos where we have Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, enforcement is not as rigorous as it is expected to be.
“The operation of those boats should stop around 6pm or 7pm at most, but you would discover that most of them operate at night. In our transportation system, enforcement is usually our weak side.”
A member of Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers, and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, NMNO/WTSSA, Olapade Peter, called on the government and regulators to examine all the boats that operate on the waterways to determine those that ought to be phased out.
He said there should be regular training of those who are operating the boat.
“Let them be certified; let it not be an all comer’s affairs, where anybody can just come in and start operating a boat.
“Those who operate the boats must also be examined. There must be an annual inspection and they must go back to class for their certificates to be examined,” he said.
He noted that most of the operators and passengers don’t use life-jackets.
“Some passengers would not like to use the life-jacket; they will tell you, it is not their business. I think anybody who refuses to use a life-jacket should not be allowed to be in a boat,” he said.
He also charged the regulatory authorities to be alive to their responsibilities.
“The regulatory authorities should also be around at various jetties to check the operators and ensure that all passengers put on life-jackets.
“Let the authorities also identify wrecks, and if possible, remove them along the waterways.
“Let the life jacket be properly worn and checked by authorities at disembarkation and embarkation,” he added.
He equally identified alcohol as another cause of accidents on waterways and made specific reference to weather as a contributory factor to boat mishaps.
He asked the concerned authorities to rise to the challenge, saying, “There should be strict adherence to the law prohibiting alcohol intake by the boat drivers.
“The law says no alcohol 12 hours before a journey. There should also be strict adherence to the weather forecast before movement. The operators should be regulated by checking and re-examination.”
Again, a Nigeria Police Marine Officer, who preferred anonymity, also said although the incessant mishaps could be attributed to the tidal waves.
“Even when we, as enforcement agents, try to regulate them, sometimes, they prove so stubborn.
“They are supposed to use life safety appliances, like life jackets because they are the things that can keep people afloat if there is any accident, but they don’t use them,” he lamented.
He equally said overloading was responsible for most of the mishaps on waterways.
“Most of the boats are overloaded. Just like what obtains on the land when you see tricycle operators carrying too many loads, boats are also overloaded,” he said.
Responding to the issue of whether boat drivers are certified, the marine officer said: “We have various forms of certification.
“For local waterways users like the fishermen that operate in the local areas, they are not certified, but those that use engine boats are supposed to be certified by Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, which regulates their activities.
“But, at the level of enforcement, our own is to ensure that all the safety measures are applied.”
He added that recklessness on the part of waterways users equally contributed to boat accidents.
“Some of the boat operators are reckless so much that they engage in drunkenness, just like what you have on land.
“If you check most of the waterways jetties, they have places where people sell intoxicated drinks. So, some of them drink before they embark on the journey.
“Those are the things we discourage, and we also encourage the public to be aware of such actions,” he said.
Also speaking, a resident of Snake Island, Lagos, who travels to the mainland on a daily basis, using a boat, Mr Chidiebere Eze, lambasted both the state and federal governments’ agencies for failing in their responsibility.
He believed that the government had no justifiable reason for being unable to protect lives on waterways.
“To me, the excuse that the government does not have the capacity to police all the waterways in the country is untenable.
“It is either you are into water transport or you are out of it. But, if you accept it as a necessary means of transport, then you must deploy all necessary apparatus, including the regulatory tools, to ensure that it does not only function, but also that those who will make use of it are safe.
“Secondly, for a regulatory agency to say that it cannot force people to wear life jacket is also lame.
“I don’t believe such excuses. They should just sit up and do their job. Life is so precious to be wasted just like that,” he stated.
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