NIWA ORDERED TO LOOK INTO INCREASE OF BOAT ACCIDENTS FOLLOWING NIGER BOAT MISHAP
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The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has been instructed by President Bola Tinubu to look into the increase in boat accidents nationwide. The injunction came in response to the October 1 accident when a boat carrying more than 200 people to Gbajibo for the Mawlid holiday capsized in Niger state’s Mokwa LGA. In order to retrieve the bodies of victims, rescue activities have been carried out by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, delivered a statement on Thursday where President Tinubu offered his sympathies to the victims’ families as well as the state. In order to “ensure our people’s safety,” the President also gave NIWA instructions to broaden the extent of its inland water surveillance.
Additionally, the President directed the agency to press charges against boat owners who violate the prohibition on night sailing.
The statement further said, “President Tinubu commiserates with the families of the victims and prays for the repose of the souls of the dead.” He appreciated the efforts of emergency workers and local divers involved in the recovery operations.
The NSEMA spokesperson, Ibrahim Hussaini, said on Thursday that the incident’s death toll had increased to 36 from the retrieved 19 bodies—9 of them female—from the river on Wednesday. According to Hussaini, the accident’s cause is still unknown, and efforts are still being made to find the surviving passengers.
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