The Lagos State Government on Sunday confirmed the death
of 12 persons in the boat mishap which occurred at the weekend in Ilashe area
of the State.
In a statement issued by the Managing Director of Lagos
State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Engr Abisola Kamson, the State Government
attributed the unfortunate mishap to overloading of passengers on a Banana Boat
and operation of illegal jetty.
Kamson said four victims of the mishap who were rescued
are already receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, while search and rescue
operation was still on-going.
While commiserating with the families of those that lost
their loved ones, the State Government said the mishap had again brought to the
fore the need for the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to respect the
recent verdict of the Court of Appeal which upheld the powers of the State
Government to control its intra-inland waterways.
Going into details of the mishap, Kamson said: “An
unfortunate incident occurred at Ilashe today Sunday August 20th arising from
overloading of passengers on a Banana boat taking off from an illegal Jetty
which has become a perennial issue of the Lagos State Government to rid our
Waterfront areas of illegal operators.
“We sympathize with the families of the deceased as 12
lives were lost in the mishap and four people receiving treatment in the
hospital.
“The LASWA rescue team has been on ground and search is
still on-going. This brings to fore again the need for NIWA to allow the
judgement of the Appeal Court granting Lagos Control of her waterways to take
effect without hindrance.
“It is a matter for regret that ever since the judgement
was pronounced, NIWA has ejected all State Water Guards monitoring standards
from all Federal owned Jetties. In spite of this, the Government of Lagos State
aligns to the safety of citizens on the waterways. All Lagosians are enjoined
to wear standard life jackets at all times on our Waterways,” Kamson said.
Besides, the LASWA boss urged boat operators and other
stakeholders in the inland waterways sector to adhere strictly to safety
standards at all times.
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