By Hauwa Ali
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has expressed its plans to enforce compliance with safety rules and regulations to achieve safer waterways for all.
This was contained in the newly gazetted Transport Code of the Federal Government, and its implication for errant jetty owners, boat operators as well as boat passengers,with which NIWA officials sensitised local communities during g a week long tour recently.
The Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engr Sarat Braimah, who led the tour, revealed that the new legislation is part of the government’s effort to curb the incessant loss of lives occasioned by non-compliance with waterways regulation.
“The Ministry of Justice has just gazetted a new waterway regulation which stipulates 7 years imprisonment for community leaders who operate jetties at night as well as private operators where boats are overloaded once it’s after 7 pm. The same penalty goes for operators and passengers who fail to use lifejackets and are non-compliant to waterways regulation.” she said.
Braimah also directed the seizure of substandard lifejackets found at a retail store in the Sagbo-Koji community.
While donating authentic lifejackets to the communities, the NIWA boss also used the opportunity to differentiate between fake or sub-standard life jackets and standard ones.
“We are here to rub minds with your community in order to curb boat accidents and incessant loss of lives. You can tell us where the government has lapses so we can improve, while we work together to remove the human problems. Most boat accidents are result of human elements which is non-compliance to regulations.
“We have repeated it severally that there should be no night sailing from 7 pm. It is better to stay alive and travel the next day than to endanger your life at night. Boat drivers should have licenses because training is key. Don’t patronize unregistered boats and unnamed boats. There will be NIWA stickers to identify the registered boat.” she said.
Recall last Friday, the Managing Director of NIWA Dr George Moghalu, hosted a media interactive session with transportation correspondents in Lagos during which he noted that the Authority had constituted a waterways task force to arrest any boat operators operating beyond the stipulated time.
The Task Force is comprised of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), barge operators, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, and the Marine Police.
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