GOV BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU ORDERS PROBE INTO BOAT MISHAP- two crashes in a week too many
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Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu commissioned a ferry service, in his quest for options in commuting within Lagos State
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has ordered a probe into the 8th July boat accident along Mile 2-Ibeshe axis in which all the 16 passengers were casualties.
A media statement by the Commissioner for information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, said Governor Sanwo-Olu was deeply saddened by the incident and commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones.
The statement said that crack detectives of the Nigerian Police Force had begun an investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the fatal boat mishap.
Gbenga Omotosho on behalf of the Governor affirmed that “the police are probing what went wrong and treating the sad incident as criminal”.
The statement sadly noted that the boat was reportedly unlicensed hence, “broke the waterways rules of “no night travel” and no overloading”.
“Besides, not all of the passengers wore life jackets and the boat did not take off from a government-approved jetty”, the statement noted.
Other agencies of the state government co-opted in the highly specialized investigation are, “the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and others are assisting the investigators”.
The statement assured Lagosians and family members of victims that, “anybody who is found to have contributed in any way to this tragedy will surely face the law to ensure that we do not have any such incidents in future”.
Omotosho reiterated that “the rules and regulations of the waterway are clear; they must be respected in accordance with the greatest value that the Sanwo-Olu administration places on human life”.
He said the Governor’s thoughts and that of members of the Lagos State Executive Council, and their “prayers are with the bereaved families”.
The statement concluded with a solemn prayer thus, “may The Almighty strengthen them in this difficult time”.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday last week, there was a boat accident in the Lagos state territorial waters in which there were casualties. Barely forty-eight hours after, another accident occurred in which all the passengers could not be immediately found.
No doubt the fatal accidents were drastic issues hence, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has now resolved to give drastic attention to incessant boat accidents by finding the causes and thereafter provide solutions through policy to address safety recommendations that would be prescribed by the accident investigators.
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