Boat mishaps Only 29 died in 2022 against 100 in 2021 in Niger – NIWA.According to the National Inland Waterway Agency (NIWA), in the Malale Waterfronts in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, a total of 29 people have died so far in 2022, down from over 100 in 2021.
The government attributed the decline in accidents to the removal of beachfront tree stock.
This was said by Dr. George Moghalu, the managing director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), at the commissioning of the PB Port Harcourt Fibre Patrol, Surveillance Boat at the Malale Waterfronts in the state’s Borgu Local Government Area.
According to the MD, who was represented by Captain Abdulkadir Abu, Deputy Director of Navigation, over 100 lives had been lost due to boating accidents on the Malale Waterways in 2022 alone.
He recommended boaters to stay off the lake at night and to stop boarding without life jackets.
In his speech, Mr. Akapo Adeboye, the Area Manager of NIWA Niger/Kwara States, mentioned another element that helped reduce the frequency of boat accidents: the series of sensitization exercises that NIWA organized in the region.
He claims that in order to prevent mishaps, NIWA has made it necessary for all users of waterways, boat owners, and operators to be properly registered with the organization.
Two people from each of the five villages of Malale, Lokomene, Shagunu, Garafini, and Duggar will work as surveillance and safety agents. NIWA and HYPPADEC will monitor and oversee them to guarantee their efficiency.
Abubakar Sani Bello, the state governor, bemoaned the ongoing loss of life on the state’s waterways in his speech, which was delivered in his place by Zakari Mohammed, the state commissioner for transportation.
He said, “The government of Niger State would continue to ensure ongoing collaboration to support communities in the state. We hope that by releasing this monitoring boat, boat accidents on our waterways would be reduced.
Along with thanking NIWA for the gift and promising that the boat will assist the people, the Emir of Borgu, Mohammed Sani Dantoro, who was represented by the Wazirn Borgu, Sa’ad Abdulkareem, also commissioned the boat.
In an interview, a community member named Mohammed Abdul stated that many people have perished in communities in the Borgu local government of Niger State due to boating accidents. He also praised NIWA for providing the speed boat for rescue in order to save the lives of users of the Malale Waterways.
