The Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN) has expressed deep condolences to the families of victims of the tragic boat mishap that occurred on the night of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, in Gbajibo community, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, blaming the incident on night travelling, overloading, and lack of safe life jackets.
Recall that the boat accident has claimed over 100 lives, with the search for more bodies still ongoing.
In a statement signed by the Association National Publicity Secretary, Chief Raymond Gold, after their monthly executive meeting at the weekend, WABOTAN, led by its National President, Comrade Babatope Fejemirokun, stated that, “We sympathise with the families of victims that lost their lives in the Niger State boat mishap. We are very sad over this unfortunate incident.”
The association expressed grave concern over the recurrence of such mishaps in the same community, recalling a similar incident last year that claimed 31 lives.
“While we have cause to be worried whenever there is a boat mishap, we are more worried over this particular mishap as we recall that there was a similar boat mishap in this same community last year where 31 persons lost their lives,” Fejemirokun added.
WABOTAN, which has been at the forefront of advocating for water transport safety, identified several factors that contributed to the tragedy.
“From the information we have gathered, the accident was caused by water waves leading to a boat break. While water waves are natural, overloading a boat, lack of safe jackets, and travelling at night are all human factors,” the association noted.
The association called on the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the chief regulator of the country’s inland waterways, to step up its safety sensitisation programmes and enforce regulatory policies more effectively.
“We are calling on the regulators, especially NIWA, to beef up their sensitisation programmes and enforce policies aimed at ensuring safety on the country’s waterways,” the statement urged.
WABOTAN also highlighted its efforts in training and retraining boat operators to improve safety, particularly in Lagos, where it has partnered with NIWA, NIMASA, and LASWA.
“Part of our work over the years has been training and retraining stakeholders, especially commercial boat drivers and fishermen, on waterways safety measures. We have done this in partnership with NIWA, NIMASA, LASWA, and other supportive partners here in Lagos State, and it’s been acknowledged that this training is one of the factors behind the decline in boat mishaps on the waterways of Lagos,” Fejemirokun added.
The association offered to extend its training initiatives to Niger State in a bid to prevent future incidents. “We are open to extending this training to Niger State as we send our heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Niger State and to the families of victims who lost their lives.”
WABOTAN also commended the efforts of volunteers involved in the ongoing search and rescue operations, emphasising the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges of waterway safety.
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