The General of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hajia Inna Maryam Ciroma has said that the Authority would henceforth ensure the total compliance to the use of life jackets by the boats/ferry passengers in order to reduce the rate of casualties in the event of any boat mishap.
Hajia Ciroma who stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos recently observed that the use of life jackets by the passengers using the waterways is not negotiable adding that the efforts were on to include the use of life jackets in the new safety code being put together by the Authority.
She said, “ what we are saying is that life jackets must be used and we shall continue to enforce it. Once the safety code comes on board, it is going to be in the safety code. So, we are going to enforce it “.
On the removal wrecks on the waterways, Hajia Ciroma disclosed that the wrecks would be surveyed to determine where they were located in order that they may be removed.
According to her, NIWA had commenced the process of surveying the wrecks saying that it had started with Lagos Area with the engagement of a consultant who recently concluded his works and had since submitted his report to the Authority even as she revealed that the Management was already understudying the report for onward action.
The Director General further hinted that the Onitsha River Port has been put to use by two different companies while that of Baro in Niger State would soon be commissioned.
She also said that all other ports that were under construction would soon be completed and that once they are completed, they would want to appeal to the business communities to ensures that they take to the water as it is less expensive both for the federal government to maintain and for easy and cheaper evacuation of goods and services.
On his part, the Lagos Area Manager, NIWA, Engr. Muazu Sambo hinted that NIWA has in addition to search and rescue team that was working round the clock, constituted a safety compliance team.
According to him, “the safety compliance team goes round all the jetties in Lagos and ensure that boats are not overloaded, that passengers use jackets and use them properly”.
Sambo noted that the Authority had also introduced the use of Passengers’ manifest where once a boat was loaded, it has the information of every passenger on the boat including the next of kin’s and the passengers’ phone number just in case there is a mishap and those information would help to tell who to contact immediately.
“The manifest also is to ensure that the boats are not overloaded because we have identified overloading as one of the factors responsible for boats mishaps”, he said.
