Kebbi one boat mishap too many

By Kabiru Dogondaji

Past mishaps
In April, a boat ferrying traders from Malale market in Borgu local government area of Niger state, to Warra town in Ngaski area council of Kebbi state, capsized and killed nine persons. Twenty five people went missing while 26 passengers were rescued. According to reports, 150 passengers were on board the ill fated boat. Following the accident, the senate passed a resolution, calling on the federal government to provide Warra town with a 50-seater modern boat in order to avert such a mishap. In addition, the senate urged ‘’the Ministry of Transport, through the National Inland Waterways Authority, to immediately conduct a survey into the stretch of River Niger in the area with a view to putting safe navigational aids in place.’’ So far, nothing has been done in that direction.

Recent accidents
Since then, such mishaps have been occurring frequently in Kebbi state. Between September and October this year, a total of 71 souls were perished in four boats mishaps along River Niger, which stretches from the neigbouring Niger Republic en route to Nigeria through Kebbi state. According to Chairman of the Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Sani Dododo, the first accident which occurred at Lolo was as a result of overloading. He told Blueprint Weekend that the boat was loaded with over 100 people, including several bags of assorted grains like maize, guinea corn, paddy rice as well as different species of animals. Alhaji Sani said that the boat simply ‘’broke into two parts at the middle of the river as a result of the pressure from the heavy load and we were made to understand that many of the dead could not rescue themselves because they might be overpowered by a sinking bags of grains in the water”
According to him, the two other accidents that occurred in Yauri which claimed 21 lives, happened as a result of the boats collision with tree roots under the water. The operators didn’t see the roots so they collided with them with fatal consequences. Also, the SEMA chairman attributed the fourth accident that claimed seven lives, to the negligence of the boat operator. Earlier, officials of National Inland Waterways had warned him against embarking on that trip as they had noticed a heavy wind storm coming, but he ignored their advice. He went ahead with the voyage and the boat was wrecked by the storm, thereby killing seven out of the nine passengers on board. Alhaji Sani said the operator has since been arraigned before the court of law in Yauri and has been sentenced to prison for negligence and violation of law and order.

Frequent boat mishaps
Significantly, 11 out of the 21 local governments in Kebbi state are located along River Niger. In particular, Birnin kebbi, Bunza and Argungu local governments, including Augie, Dandi and Suru area councils, as well as Bagudo, Shanga, Yauri and Ngaski local government areas are predominantly riverine areas. In fact, more than half of the populations of these local governments live around the river bank and for this reason, boat mishaps are common in the state but the magnitude of this year’s accidents is massive. In other to avert such occurrences, the state government has taken safety measures, after meeting with traditional rulers and relevant stakeholders, the SEMA boss said.

Safety measures
Henceforth, ferrying of passengers stops at 6:00 pm and there must be separate compartments for people and their luggage. In addition, boats or ferries should not take passengers above their carrying capacities. ‘’We discovered that the boats that are supposed to carrying 40 passengers, are usually loaded with over 100 people at a time, together with their loads, including goats, sheep, cows and camels, all jam-packed In the boat,’’ Alhaji Sani had earlier told News Agency of Nigeria in a separate interview. In addition, the exact number of passengers that each boat can carry will be written on them. All passengers must wear life jackets and there must be three extra ones in case of emergency, he warned. Also, a manifest must be provided, where names of each passenger and his or her next of kin will be indicated, the SEMA chairman told Blueprint Weekend. According to him, periodic checks will also be carried out by both SEMA officials and NIWA personnel, in order to determine the safety worthiness of the boats and ferries, and whether or not they comply with safety standards. In addition, the officials will check against over loading, Alhaji Sani further said.

Why accidents recur
Apart from negligence, overloading and lack of adherence to safety standards, the SEMA boss also cited superstitious belief as one of the reasons why boat mishaps occur regularly in Kebbi state. Alhaji Sani told NAN that some of the boat operators believe that nothing untowered will happen to them because they are natives of the area and they inherited the art from their parents. In addition, some analysts listed lack of law enforcement as a factor. Speaking to Blueprint weekend, a safety expert who doesn’t want to be named, pointed out ‘’if erring boat operators are sanctioned either by law enforcement officers or the families of the deceased press charges against them, the frequency with which these mishaps occur not just in Kebbi state but across the country will reduce. However, people always forgive deaths arising from the operators’ recklessness as the act of God, when most of the disasters are manmade.’’ In addition, it is also widely believed that lack of standard navigation aids partly contributes to the rate of accidents in the area.

NEMA provides succor to survivors
Following these mishaps, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has donated relief materials worth several mullions of naira to the survivors. The relief materials which were handed over to SEMA for onward distribution to survivors and flooding victims, include food items, building materials, mattresses, blankets, clothing materials, cement, buckets and other household utensils. Before NEMA’s relief materials came, the state emergency agency had also earlier given its own widow’s mite to the victims.
Although these are mere palliatives, the best way to save lives along the bank of River Niger which passes through Kebbi state is sensitization and the enforcement of safety standards as well as sanctioning erring boat operators.

 

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