MD NIWA, Entourage, Escape Boat Mishap on Lagos Waterways

ABIOLA Seun |

The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Sen Olorunimbe Mamora, recently escaped death on Lagos inland waterways by whiskers.

It was gathered that the MD who was on the tour of the facilities of the authority in the Lagos area office had the boat he was traveling hit an abandoned wreck that was hidden under the brown water.

Also on the entourage of the MD was the Area Manager, Lagos Office of NIWA, Muazu Sambo, the onetime acting Managing Director, NIWA, Barr Danladi Ibrahim, Journalists, and several others who joined the MD in the tour of facilities of the authority.

According to an eye witness, the incident occurred shortly, after inspecting the NIWA CMS office facility, Apapa, Ijora, Oyingbo jetties and heading towards Osborne foreshore to also inspect Texas connection ferries.

After inspecting Texas connection ferries, the NIWA team called for a change boat to continue with the facility tour of other jetties across the state, as NIWA’s staff described the situation as a close encounter with the mercy of God.

However, confirming the near mishap, the Personal Assistant to the MD, Technical Services, Engr. Emmanuel Ilori said the wreck was an underwater wreck that was under the water.

He said that the present management of the authority is seriously concerned about safety and security in the nation’s inland waterways.

He said, “Safety and security of inland waterways is the priority of the present management of NIWA. It is not only issue of wrecks removal, we will remove wrecks and causes of wrecks and that is what we will be looking at fundamentally. So, to prevent boat mishap on the inland waterways and to be sure that when wrecks are removed they are not dumped into another place where it will become another hazard.

Ilori who is the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Shipowners Association said the authority would also survey under the water and place danger signs on the areas where there are wrecks.

“What we are looking at is to survey the wrecks. It is not only wrecks that we see on the surface alone because we also have wrecks under the water and these are underwater issues that is why we say when people remove wrecks, we want to understand how they will dispose of the wrecks and it won’t cause another hazard elsewhere.

“Don’t forget that the boat the MD was passing on the water and it went over the wreck. The primary thing is to survey the water and identify whatever it is and even if can’t be removed, we ask boat operators to avoid the area because of wrecks. Wrecks removal is not the immediate solution but to identify where the wrecks are and begin to remove them and know how to dispose. Also, identify where the wrecks are and mark them so that people are aware of where danger lies and avoid it.”

Recall that over the years, there have been several calls for removal of wrecks on the inland waterways which contributed to mishaps on the waterways.

It was reported that apart from wrecks, dirt and other renewable items thrown into the water were sometimes responsible for accidents on Nigerian waters.

For instance, in August, 2018, a boat travelling from CMS to Ikorodu had capsized, claiming five lives.

The August event came two months after a May 25 incident in which 24 passengers escaped death when two boats collided and capsized in the Ojo area of the state. The accident occurred at 7:45pm close to the Ojo Terminal.

Twelve passengers were not as lucky on August 20, 2017. They all died in another boat accident in the Ilashe area of the state. It was gathered that the boat capsized shortly after leaving an unauthorised jetty.

Similarly, a police sergeant, Mary Adesoba, attached to the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, lost her life on October 10, 2017, after a boat capsized on the Third Mainland Bridge waterways.

The boat was enroute Ebute-Ero from Ikorodu when the mishap happened around 10am when it hit a submerged object.

The boat that claimed Adesoba’s life, was conveying 21 passengers. Other passengers were rescued by the Marine Police.

Also, on May 25, 2016, a woman died after a commercial boat en route to Victoria Island, Lagos, from Ikorodu ran into a log of wood and capsized. Twenty-seven other passengers on board the speedboat escaped death with varying degrees of injuries.

It was alleged that the boat had carried 27 passengers, six above the number permitted on board, making it difficult for it to regain balance after it rammed into the wood around 10am, shortly after it took off from the jetty in Ikorodu.