The National Inland Waterways Authority has reiterated that night movement for boats on Nigeria’s waterways remains prohibited.
It stated that more than 95% of boat accidents occur at night and that any boat operator who violates the instruction will be prosecuted.
According to the Saturday PUNCH, nearly 3,133 people were died in boat accidents between January 2013 and June 2023.
The most recent deaths were in Pategi, Kwara State; Mbo, Akwa Ibom State; and Calabar, Cross River State, where three medical students died.
In an interview with journalists, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NIWA, Malam Jibril Darda’u, stated that no boat should be seen operating on the canals between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
This, he claims, is because African warships lack the night navigational equipment employed in developed countries.
“Any operator who flouts the order will meet with our disciplinary committee,” Darda’u stated.
He also revealed that the helmsman of the ill-fated vessel that drowned three medical students in Calabar had been arrested and his vessel seized, and that he had been accused.
He stated, “For the recent one in Calabar, we have arrested the operator, because he was fully registered with us. We don’t certify any boat to operate on our waters without safety guidelines and requirements.
“We have arrested him because he was supposed to have two engines in the boat, but he only had one. So, when the engine failed, he had no option but to remain on the water, waiting for the boat to capsize.
“If he had followed the regulation, this would not have happened. It was his recklessness that killed those medical students. It is very painful because they were final-year students, whose parents were set to rejoice because they were done with school. To us, he killed them. We have charged him to court to serve as a deterrent to others.”
He also noted that most locals make it difficult for the agency to execute safety measures.
“Most locals always tell us that they are like fishes and do not need life jackets and other safety gadgets, thereby flouting our safety rules. But, we will keep on sensitising them to the dangers of disobeying these rules, including overloading of the vessels and night travels,” Darda’u added.
