WITHIN weeks, dozens of Nigerians recently lost their lives in boat accidents across the country. Goods and properties were destroyed. The casualties, who were mostly women and children on their way to the market, met a gruesome end as their boats exploded on the waterways. Scores of passengers escaped by a whisker through the frantic efforts of rescuers, especially swimmers who dared the odds to save them. In the month of July alone, two fatal boat accidents occurred, one of them in Bayelsa State, an incident which left more than 20 persons dead. They victims were essentially traders en route to a market in Yenagoa, the state capital. Days after the calamity, the bodies of some victims were yet to be recovered. Barely a few hours after the tragedy, another boat accident occurred in Katsina State, claiming at least five lives, with many other passengers missing. No fewer than 11 persons perished in yet another passenger boat, this time in Taraba State. Just last Saturday, one person was confirmed drowned in another boat accident in Bayelsa State.
The increasing loss of hapless Nigerians commuting on the waterways highlights the high risks associated with the sector. The scale of the disaster over the years has been scary. And, sadly, the majority of the citizens that reside in riverside communities do not have other means of transport than the waterways. Evidently, part of the challenges of the sector is the archaic means of conveying the passengers. Till date, a significant amount of water travel is undertaken with wooden canoes that are poorly coupled together and also poorly maintained. Where engine boats are deployed, the operators pay very scanty attention to global standards and safety measures that should evoke confidence and trust in passengers. Passengers often rely on divine safety, a practice which is actively undermined by the refusal of the authorities to put appropriate safety measures in place. Furthermore, the boat operators load their vessels with an impossible number of passengers, and with heavy cargo. As they set out to sea from their various loading points, it is all too evident that they are disasters waiting to happen. And the governing authorities are either not there at all, or there with intent to make fast bucks, leaving the boat operators, who are not exactly averse to alcohol and drugs, to do as they please.
Certainly, the most salient of the afflictions plaguing water travel in the country is the laxity and indifference of the supervising authorities who ordinarily ought to guarantee the sanctity of safety nets, due process and procedure in the sector. Obdurate boat operators throw caution to the wind. It is a fact that certain operators have nothing but disdain for the law prohibiting the consumption of alcohol 12 hours before embarking on a journey on the waterways. Unfortunately, nothing concrete is being done to halt the recurring tragedies. Life returns to normal once the initial hues and cries that attend accidents subside. The errant operators return to their lawbreaking ways while the government officials expected to sanction them get busy doing exactly nothing. Left in the lurch, the relations of boat accident victims nurse their predicament alone. Reports of investigations into boat accidents are issued, but the recommendations contained therein are dumped in the trash can.
Sadly, following the accidents on the waterways, members of the affected communities often resort to taking tortuous routes for many hours and at huge financial outlay while trying to connect with the markets where they can sell their agricultural produce and other goods such as sea food. There are many communities in Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states where people rely solely on the waterways to connect with the cities where most of what they produce readily attract buyers.
The elite, particularly the political elite, have consistently paid lip service to the removal of the barriers of accessibility and connectivity. They fail to provide basic infrastructure in the communities prone to calamity on the waterways. Now, definitely, is the time for all stakeholders, including governments at all levels, to walk their talk. The government must uphold the rules and regulations in the sector and fast-track the process of making water transport safe, easy and convenient. It should also build roads, where needed, to alleviate the plight of the people. With severe flooding in parts of the country, the need to roll out more pragmatic measures to save lives cannot be overemphasized. The lives of Nigerians living in riverine communities and using water transport definitely matter.
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