The Association of Tourist Boats and Water Transportation of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) has described the claims made by the marine police that it recovers between 10 and 15 corpses on daily basis in parts of Lagos waterways as not totally true.
The National President of the association, Mr. Ganiyu Sekoni Balogun who stated this in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos said that even if something like that existed, it was exaggerated by the police.
Balogun further doubted if there is any accident that happens on the waterways that will not get reported by the media adding that even if there is, it may be such insignificant that it didn’t catch the fancy of the journalists.
He said,”I hope the police will not see it as if I am against them but that is not completely true because that will scare a lot of people away from the waterways. If that is true, 15 corpses? It is not 15 rams, it is not he-goat or she-goat.
“Just like you asked, is that not being exaggerated? Somebody jumped into the water last time and committed suicide, is that the fault of the operators? He is not a passenger, somebody decided to take his life and jumped into the water. If that corpse was found undetected, it doesn’t mean that was an accident on the water.
“Besides that, when an accident happen today on the waterways, it is unfortunate that when a small or big accident happens on the water, the way it will be spread all over, meanwhile on the road, almost every two hours, there are accidents here and there across the country but it is not being highlighted like that”.
He informed that they were going to to the media on the way they report marine accidents noting that while they would not stop them from reporting marine accidents but they should not paint the picture that waterways transportation is not safe.
“Recently, I doubt if there is any u reported accident on the waterways. Maybe about 10 years ago, it may not be reported but now, especially with the new government that we have and the journalists these days, they look for stories of what is happening including the positive and the negative especially with these our mobile technologies, I can send you what I saw today and by tomorrow you put it on air.
“So, I doubt if there is, even if there could be, maybe 5% of the accidents on the waterways that are not reported. You know accidents have levels, any one that doesn’t claim life may not be reported. If a boat runs into an iron or into an object on the water and it breaks and the boat sinks, eventually almost all the people in the boat are safe and no course for reporting it to the police and there is no journalist there at that time it happened, it may not be in the news.
“But life is involved, definitely, the police will be involved and then the reporters will get it and it will be reported”, he said.
Balogun who is also the Managing Director of Tarzan Boats however thanked the marine police for her quick intervention which led to the swift recovery of his snatched boat within hours of attack adding that “that was the first time in the whole history of marine business that they (robbers) took a boat and the police recovered it that same day and the engine was also recovered”.
He continued,”No boat that was stolen in the past and was recovered alongside the engine, you only see carcass but that one, I give kudos to them and thank the Governor of Lagos state who provided that both for them. That is why I am saying that there is no reason why the federal, state and local governments cannot work together if our target is to provide an enabling environment for the operators and a safe water transportation for the people of the state and the country at large”.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
