The Kwara State House of Assembly has urged the state's Ministry of Works and Transport to collaborate with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to enhance the regulation and enforcement of safety guidelines on water transport operations.
This call to action follows a tragic boat capsizing incident on October 1st in Gwajibo, Kaiama Local Government Area (LGA), which claimed numerous lives.
The Assembly’s resolution was passed during a session on Tuesday in Ilorin after Hon. Ahmed Baba (APC/Banni/Gwaria/Adena) raised the issue as a Matter of General Public Importance. Baba highlighted the devastating loss of 191 lives, all natives of Gwajibo Mudi when an overloaded wooden boat capsized on the Niger River. The boat, designed to carry a maximum of 200 passengers, was tragically overloaded with 285 people en route to the neighbouring Gwajibo community in Niger for the annual Maolud Nabbiy celebration. Only 92 passengers were rescued.
In response, the Assembly directed that NIWA staff be stationed at all loading points on Nigerian waterways to monitor operations and enforce safety regulations. Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, reading the resolutions, expressed condolences to the people of Kaiama LGA and praised Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his swift response to the tragedy. The Speaker also called on the State Emergency Management Agency to work with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to survivors and victims' families.
During the debate, Hon. Baba lamented the increasing frequency of boat mishaps in the region, attributing this latest disaster to overloading and the neglect of safety precautions. He stressed the urgency of implementing stricter controls to prevent future tragedies.
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