By Bashir Jamoh
I am extremely saddened by the agonising incessant cases of boat capsize in Nigeria and the attendant continued loss of precious lives of Nigerians. With the recent news of the boat capsize in Kogi state, reports indicate that at least 54 bodies have now been recovered from River Niger after a boat, that may have been carrying more than 200 passengers, capsized in the early hours of Friday. The boat was reported to be travelling from Kogi state, to a weekly market in the neighbouring Niger state when it went down, while the passengers included market traders and farm labourers. Twenty-four of those on board were rescued, some of whom are still in hospital, but dozens of others may be missing. Divers are still searching the waters but hope is fading on the possibility of finding more survivors. This record shows that lives have again been lost and it is this regard that I express my heartfelt condolences and extend my prayers to the families of those who have lost their lives. May Allah repose the souls of the deceased.
While we mourn for the lives lost, it is instructive to state that this incidence is another clarion call for well-meaning Nigerians and the relevant stakeholders to set standard in the use of inland waters ways and water transportation in general. We cannot continue to fold our hands, while fellow citizens continue to dye through preventable circumstances. Although the cause of the accident is not yet known, but there are indications that many of the travelers may not have been wearing life jackets as required. Equally so, there is no passenger manifest for getting accurate details about who exactly had boarded the boat, because, as recounted by Justin Uche, head of the Kogi state office of the National Emergency Management Agency, at the time the accident occurred, it was impossible to give an accurate account of persons who boarded, the survivors and those who are missing.
The continued boat accident resulting in loss of precious lives in the Nigerian water ways has in the last four years claimed, across the country, close to 2,500 lives. It is very sad to read about the frequent loss of lives in our inland waterways which are clearly avoidable. In view of the urgency of the situation as it affects loss of lives, I would recommend the following:
• Immediate setting up of a joint Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) task force to, in the short term, identify and enforce existing safety regulations and propose new regulations where there are gaps. This measure should be targeted at using a risk-based approach, as we need to be seen to be taking immediate and decisive action to keep our people safe.
• The task force should also be tasked with proposing long-term solutions on improving safety administration of Nigerian inland waterways, along the lines of measures for providing and enforcing the use of life jackets, setting operation time by prohibiting night operations etc.
• Enhancing or putting in place search and rescue facilities and personnel at strategic water locations.
• Regulating and ensuring that only water-worthy boats sail the waterways and only qualified persons captain the boats. Without attempting to preempt what the task-force will come up with, it is important to note that some of the boat accidents are as a result of poorly conditioned boats, overloading of boats, bad weather conditions; inexperienced operators who usually fail to evenly evaluate the vessel stability and proper weight distribution. Besides, a lot of these boats operating in our waters are not registered with the regulatory agency to ascertain, if adequate maintenance is carried out or not. This is one major reason we need to increase enforcement drive to ensure compliance with existing regulations and stop these individuals from sacrificing innocent, loving Nigerians in our waters.
• We also need to look at the fact that some of these frequent boat accidents could be as a result of usage of old and dilapidated boats. More disturbing is that some of them are piloted by individuals who have no knowledge of water ways channels’ markings.
• The foregoing points to the need for training and certification for inland waterways boat and vessel operators, including training on reading and understanding weather forecast and application of safety measures.
By way of general recommendation to avoid frequent boat accident in our waters, government has a role to play. Government should invest in man power development by setting up training facilities in areas where the means of transportation is predominantly by water, and ensure that those permitted to man boats in the water ways are certified personnel.
The public sector should also invest in the acquisition of modern boats to avoid these wanton loss of lives through boat accidents. Equally, jetty owners must enforce time limits as to when they open and close for operations. Boats should not be allowed to operate at nights, in fact, when it is dusk, all operators in this transport sector should shut down. This will need the cooperation of all maritime agencies to enforce and ensure that no boat move in the night when visibility is poor. NIWA especially must ensure that boat operators acquire life jackets and enforce their usage by passengers in the water ways. NIMASA on its part must also ensure that the International Maritime Safety code is introduced and enforced in the nation’s inland waterways by ensuring that all boats plying the Nigeria water ways are registered with the agency for regular safety evaluation.
* Bashir Jamoh (OFR) is the immediate past Director General, NIMASA
