- Head of Marine Services, National Inland Waterways Authority, Lagos, Elsie Egwuatu (left), National President, ATBOWATON, Ganiyu Balogun, Director of Maritime Services, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Mercy Ilori, Ogun State Commissioner for Transportation, Gbenga Dario; Chairman, Ogun State House Committee on Transport, Ayodele Wasiu, and others in Ogun State…Tuesday
By Anthony Nwachukwu
As part of its drive to enhance travel safety on the nation’s waterways, the federal government has donated 3,500 life-jackets to the Ogun State Government for the inland waterways operators.
Handing over the life-jackets on Tuesday, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, assured inland waterways users of the ministry’s determination to curb the needless loss of lives.
Oyetola, who was represented by the ministry’s Director of Maritime Services, Dr. Mercy Ilori, said the campaign was part of a deliberate national strategy to embed a culture of safety on the inland waterways.
Oyetols described the life-jacket distribution as one of the most comprehensive federal government responses in recent times to the persistent loss of lives on the waterways.
He noted that there had been successful handovers of safety jackets at Niger, Bayelsa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba and Lagos States, while the Ogun State lap is meant “to sustain the momentum and reveal the government’s unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people.”
Describing the frequency and tragic consequences of boat mishaps across the country as deeply concerning, the minister stated that “in recognition of this menace, the ministry is prioritising life-saving interventions to bring about tangible change.”
He further stressed the government’s commitment to ending the needless loss of lives on waterways, adding that the National Inland Waterways Authority, as the key agency under the ministry, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the strategy.
The minister explained that NIWA has continued to lead in regulation, compliance monitoring, and supporting education and enforcement efforts on the inland waters.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, assured of equitable distribution of the life-jackets to registered operators across the state, stating that safety on the nation’s waterways was not a privilege but a right of everyone in Ogun State.
Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Transportation, Gbenga Dairo, also assured of the state’s willingness to provide all the necessary support to sustain the momentum. He stated inland waterways is a viable and secure alternative to road infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the NIWA Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, has noted that inland waterways safety cannot be over-emphasised.
Recounting several tragic incidents that claimed hundreds of lives, Oyebamiji noted among others that on June 12, 2023, a wooden boat carrying wedding guests from a marriage ceremony in Niger State capsized in Jeva Channel Lake in the River Niger due to overloading and a submerged tree.
He regretted that the boat reportedly had over 200 guests in spite of its less-than-100-passenger capacity, adding that over 200 lives were lost, including a father and four of his children.
