Waterways Safety Code: NIWA Says Violators Risk 7-Years in Jail

… Uncovers Manufacturers of Fake Life Jackets

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has said that it is going ahead to enforce the Waterways Safety Code which was newly gazetted by the Federal Ministry of Justice, even as it warned that violators of the code, including boat riders and passengers would be jailed for seven years.

Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Eng Sarat Braimah sounded the warning to boat riders, passengers, jetty owners and community leaders on Monday when she led a sensitization visit to all riverine communities across the state.

Essentially, the NIWA Lagos Area Manager stated that the Safety Code is to ensure cub recurring boat accidents and lost of lives of Nigerians.

The offences which were reiterated by Eng Sarat includes; night sailing beyond 7pm, boat drivers license violation, driving boats without paddles, driving unregistered boats, dangerous driving and over-speeding, driving rickety and leaking boat, driving unnamed boats.

Others includes; driving without standard life jackets, passengers manifest violation, fire extinguisher violation, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fighting at jetty, obstructing task force on duty as well as overloading violation.

She warned that any passenger caught not wearing life jackets on any boat would be prosecuted alongside the boat rider.

In the course of the sensitization at Sagbo-Koji community, the Area Manager uncovered a tailoring shop where life jackets are being sewed in mass quantity. She subsequently ordered seizure of all the jackets and promised stiffer actions on the perpetrators.

The places visited on Monday includes; Sagbo-Koji community, Bishop-Koji, Whalakoji, Irede, Ikaare and Ibeshe communities were all covered.

Standard life jackets were also distributed to the community leaders by NIWA.

Speaking, Eng Sarat Braimah said the Federal Government does not want the recurring boat accidents and it’s attendant loss of lives on the nation waterways, hence the new code.
She assured that NIWA is geared up for enforcement of the regulations and prosecution.

“Before we start arresting and prosecuting violators, it is better we come first and sensitize your people, community heads should please partner with us by ensuring that any boat without name or registration is not allowed to operate at the jetty

“We must ensure that boats are not overloaded, any boat arrested for overloading, the owners of the jetty, the community leaders would also be arrested, and it is seven years in prison. Please, by the time enforcement starts, nobody should come and start begging me”

“The last accident was heart breaking, 17 people from one family lost their lives in one day, if the affected boat was carrying a paddle, the accident would have been averted because they would paddle themselves to safety” she said.

Eng Sarat also assured that NIWA is embarking on a mission to rid the waterways of fake life jackets. She assured that by next week, NIWA officials would be at all jetties to impound fake life jackets and destroy them openly.

Speaking, the community heads at
some of the visited areas commended NIWA’s efforts and assured that the codes are all acceptable to them.

The Baale Anthony Avime, Sagbo Koji; Baale Houeto Bernard, Whla Koji and Baale Sohome Bishop Koji however stated that their indigenes are very stubborn people and they do not like to confirm with safety rules on sailing.

“Our people are stubborn, they don’t want to wear life jackets, we in our various villages have put laws and regulations in place guiding sailing, the people would always flout the rules, including the visitors in our town”

“We want to implore NIWA to use force, and to send uniformed men to these jetties so that they would comply” they said

The villagers also advised that the NIWA taskforce officials stationed at various jetties should always be rotated every week in order to avoid them being compromised. They also requested regular patrols by NIWA.

At Irede and Ikaare communities, the women complained that, the reason why they often refuse to use life jackets is because most of them are dirty and smelling.

Also speaking, the Ovori of Ibeshe land, Oba Gausu Alani Razak called on NIWA to improve the standard of boats plying the waterways.

According to him, if the boats can be changed to bigger and stronger ones, it would solve most of the accidents on the waterways.

“All these small fibre boats you see plying the waterways are not strong enough, and that is why you see them capsizing at any little mistake, even the engines fitted into them are bigger than the boats.

“We want NIWA to come up with a new specification of boats that can be used by operators, this would solve a lot of problems” he said