 |
| Students from Egon High School on water without life jackets |
Lagos and some other states in the
country is home to a lot of coastal communities where inhabitants living in
such locality uses the water ways around them as a primary means of transportation
in their day to day activities.
In situations where children
commuting to school on a daily basis ply the water ways in different kinds of
fast moving speed boat, their safety has become a paramount topic for
discussion at different foras due to some recorded water mishaps that has claimed
the lives of students in times past.
Lagos state fondly known as the city
of aquatic splendor has witnessed its own share of boat mishaps involving
school children, who travel in fast moving boats from land jetties to their
riverside schools.
The mishap of July 1,2015 remains a
sad reminder to many who lost loved ones in that incident that claimed 6 lives.
 |
| Students without Life Jackets |
On July 1, 2015. a speed boat from
Ojo Local Government took off from a jetty with 14 passengers on board which
included students and some adults ,while in transit to Irawe, a seaside
settlement got involved in an accident.
Their speedboat carrying the
students collided with a fiber boat causing their boat to capsize.
Eight of the students and the driver
were rescued while six students drowned in the mishap.
The lucky survivors were mainly
primary and secondary students who were taken to Igando general hospital where
they got admitted and treated afterwards.
Based on this happening, KampeNews
Blog decided to investigate the present state of safety by boat operators in
Lagos state, and also their level of consciousness in ensuring that
students who board boats to school have guaranteed assurances while commuting
in them.
A visit by KampeNews Blog to a jetty
in Ojo LGA in Lagos state on how to get
a boat to Irawe a community located across the river revealed that safety has
become the watchword at the jetty as every commuter who boarded speedboats to
various settlements across the water all wore life jackets handed to them by
the boat operators.
Efforts made by KampeNews reporter
to get a boat ride with students schooling in Irawe proved abortive as days of
stalking around the jetty couldn't present an opportunity of seeing students
going to school in groups.
 | ||||
| Students from Etegbin Jetty about to leave without wearing life jackets |
A boat operator by name Amos Bolaji
disclosed to KampeNews Blog that soon after the boat mishap of July 1,2015
students who school in Irawe now move to school in groups on a certain day
agreed among themselves and come back during the weekend.
This decision according to Amos was
to reduce the frequent usage of boats to a minimum and safeguard lives of
students who would have been going to school on a daily basis from Ojo to
Irawe.
In our quest to mingle with students
going to Irawe, we were lucky to see an SS 3 student who identified himself as
Quadri Yusuf.
Yusuf disclosed that students
preparing to write their Senior Secondary School examination WAEC, abandon
schools on the mainland for river side places of learning.
Yusuf revealed that in the quest by
most students to write and pass their WAEC in flying colors, they opt for river
side schools, where they believe enforcement of strict examinations standards
are relaxed and most times officials of such examination bodies look the other
way for them engage in examination malpractices of sort.
A visit to a second jetty located in
Etegbin Shibiri within Oto Awori Local Government Development Area of Lagos
revealed that enforcement of safety is
lacking from the port of departure where school children board their fare to
school and back.
A boat ride undertaken our reporter to
ascertain the true state of things revealed the following.
 |
| Passengers without safety jackets off from Etegbin Jetty to their Destination |
The boat ride revealed that some
boat operators doing business at the Shibiri Jetty at Ajangbadi area of Lagos,
flouts safety rules of ensuring school children and adults alike use life
jackets when inside the boat.
Everyone around this jetty were
comfortable as they boarded these boats without any means of safety checks
being adhered to.
When the response of a boat operator
was sought on why the use of safety vest was not being complied with, the
operator who gave his name as Segun disclosed that the reasons why most of the
operators don't use the vests was because the journey to Egon is just a five
minute drive on water ,so why bother to use life jackets for a short journey.
Students also said the same thing
when asked if its proper for them to board boats without wearing life jackets.
Shina Adebayo,a student of Egon High
School Egon,who spoke to our reporter while sharing a boat ride disclosed that
most student find it boring to use life jackets during the short boat
ride that won't last up to ten minutes.
He also said most of the jackets are
dirty and likely to stain their school uniform which is white in colour,hence
their refusal to adhere to its usage.
A visit to a second jetty located in
Etegbin Shibiri within Oto Awori Local Government Development Area of Lagos
revealed that enforcement of safety is
lacking from the port of departure where school children board their fare to
school and back.
 |
| At Egon Settlement..Note the large sacks containg safety jacket inside the empty boats |
A boat ride undertaken our reporter to
ascertain the true state of things revealed the following.
The Reporter boarded a boat from
Etegbin at Shibiri water jetty to Egon Ojo community, where Egon High
School,Egon is located.
The boat ride revealed that some
boat operators doing business at the Shibiri Jetty at Ajangbadi area of Lagos,
flouts safety rules of ensuring school children and adults alike use life
jackets when inside the boat.
Everyone around this jetty were
comfortable as they boarded these boats without any means of safety checks
being adhered to.
When the response of a boat operator
was sought on why the use of safety vest was not being complied with, the
operator who gave his name as Segun disclosed that the reasons why most of the
operators don't use the vests was because the journey to Egon is just a five
minute drive on water ,so why bother to use life jackets for a short journey.
Students also said the same thing
when asked if its proper for them to board boats without wearing life jackets.
Shina Adebayo,a student of Egon High
School Egon,who spoke to our reporter while sharing a boat ride disclosed that
most student find it boring to use life jackets during the short boat
ride that won't last up to ten minutes.
He also said most of the jackets are
dirty and likely to stain their school uniform which is white in colour,hence
their refusal to adhere to its usage.
A large sack believed to be filled
with life jackets were in most boats plying this route, yet they were unable to
comply with directives of the Lagos state Waterways Authority, an agency of
Lagos state government saddled with enforcements of safety on waterways in the
state.
It is on record that boats from
Etegbin Jetty in Shibiri area of Oto Awori Local Government going to other
locations and settlements from the jetty were discovered to have flouted the
life jacket directive of Lagos state government whose agency has continued to
give out free life jackets to schools and boat operators for use on jetties
around Lagos.
 |
| School students who refused to be photographed at Etegbin Jetty,Oto Awori |
Gbajumo,an official of the operation
department in the agency revealed that the Lagos state Waterways Authority on a continuous basis educates boat operators
on the need to ensure their passenger use life jackets when plying waters to
and from their destinations.
“Officials of the agency carry out practical’s
to these boat operators on a daily basis on the area of safety and use of Life
Jackets, and we are poised to do more in the coming days Gbajumo opined”
Gbajumo further disclosed that Lagos
state government in conjunction with Total Nigeria, a Multi-National Oil
Company in recent times has donated Life jackets to all schools in riverine
areas in Lagos but cannot say why these life jackets are not being put in use
by most erring water users who ply waterways as a means of transport to their
various destinations.
He noted that as part of the effort
by Lagos state government to ensure safety on waterways at all times in the
state, certified CPR officers on blue uniforms are stationed at jetties in the
state and they are on ground to ensure enforcement of safety at the
jetties at all times.
 |
| Commuters complying with Safety rules at Ojo Jetty Lagos |
Gbajumo further said that despite
all the efforts put in place by government to ensure safety is adhered to, they
cannot be everywhere in Lagos, hence the need for all water users to also act
as enforcement agents for their own safety.
He said as a boat user, one must
insist a boat operator gives out life jacket to passengers as it is akin to a
seat belt in a car.
A visit by our reporter to Egon
Community Secondary to ascertain the level of sensitization by the school
management towards the students encountered certain hiccups.
The principal wasn’t on seat when
our reporter came calling, while the Vice Principal refused to comment,citing
Lagos civil service rules which forbids them from making comments to the media.
Luckily for our reporter, a teacher
who decided to comment on the grounds of anonymity,disclosed that indeed the
school management at Egon Community High school has during its assembly periods
imbibed to the students on the need to use safety life jackets when inside the
boats taking them home so it would be improper to say they have not been up and
doing in their duties towards the students.
 |
| Commuters arriving Ojo Jetty, Lagos |
While further chat with Akin Lawal,
another boat operator at Etegbin water jetty at Shibiri Lagos revealed that
since the mishap of July 1,2015 that claimed the lives of school students going
to school in Irawe,jetties across Lagos now have Task Force that ensure
compliance on the part of their members in their approach to work .
Lawal disclosed that erring members
who operate boats at the detriments of the safety of their passengers are
handed down fines ranging from three days ban from work; financial fines are
also imposed on boat drivers who flout safety directives carrying the right
number of passengers according to the size of boat, ban on alcohol while
operating boats among others.
 |
| Commercial Boat used at Jetties in Lagos |
He said passengers are encouraged to
report any boat operators whose style of driving boats is capable of putting
their lives in danger.
Lawal revealed that the normal Fiber
boat carries just twelve passengers and drivers are warned not to have more
than this number in their boats at all times ,while a much bigger boat carries
up to eighteen people.
On driving at night, Lawal said
operators carry less number of passengers due to visibility is hampered so
lesser number of people are conveyed and the driver operates the boat on a
lesser speed limit.
Lawal disclosed that most boats are
made from fiber foam and coated with plastic.
Depending on the size costs about
250 Thousand to 300 Thousand for a medium sized boat with an engine which is
put at 450 to 500 Thousand naira as cost of engine.
 |
| Picture showing Engine of a boat |
While a smaller boat could be
purchased at 200 Thousand and engine at the same price.
Despite efforts by the Lagos state
Waterways Authority to ensure that all jetties have the right enforcement personnel
stationed, there seems to be lack of enough personnel’s which the agency says
they are working on to ensure all round compliance as far as safety is
concerned.
As it stands, there is so much the
government needs to do as growing concerns for safety on waterways in Lagos
continues to rise.
While it is noted that efforts has
been put in place to reduce the likelihood of mishaps on waterways in Lagos by
the state government, more ways to bring about strict enforcement on the use
of safety measures on the waterways via media channels seems to be a way out of
the present situation as failure to do so might just present itself with
another disaster waiting in the wings to happen to unsuspecting school children
who feel it is cool to travel on water without wearing life jackets.
Story by Chilaka Patrick
No comments:
Post a Comment