Dr. George Moghalu, Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, fielding questions on a national television network news
Dr. George Moghalu, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, has made a fervent appeal to boat operators, drivers, skippers, and also to passengers not to ever undermine any of the safety protocols as they affect everyone on board a vessel.
The NIWA helmsman was fielding questions on a national television network newscast, NTA’s Weekend File, over the weekend, where he literally entreated everyone making use of the water transport to operate by the rules and stay alive while cutting corners or flagrant disdain for safety protocols merely breeds disaster.
He reminded his viewers, especially those operating boat services and the passengers that, the water transport code is now in force as anyone caught flouting the code will no longer be treated with kid gloves but will earn hard knocks.
Moghalu highlighted that the penalties for infractions in the repealed code were not in tune with the present world situation hence, the new code which has rightly squared up with the transgressors.
He said in an attempt to achieve voluntary compliance with safety protocols, integrated mass education of the general public and stakeholders has been permanently retained on the front burner of the authority’s programs.
And as a complement to the consistent safety advocacy nationwide he said, well well-trained enforcement team named NIWA Police have since been on the heels of the recalcitrant operators and bringing them to book.
The NIWA CEO also said his management had even gone further to engage another crop of personnel from the communities in the coastal areas called River Marshall.
These crop of personnel Moghalu said, were to nip in the bud any form of transgression on the transport code and to also educate the people in their mother tongue, the virtue of voluntary compliance to safety critical information, and most especially the safety protocols.
Citing the efforts of NIWA to be on top of its game, he said 11 of the 23 area offices of NIWA had been equipped with information dissemination technology which enables rapid exchange of safety-critical information with the headquarters and among the area stations.
Highlighting the depth of the operators’ disregard for safety, he mentioned that the recent accident in Niger State occurred at 1.30 am, whereas the safety regulation says no vessel should sail beyond 6 pm.
Another respondent from the field interview conducted by the television station revealed that the boat was overloaded by over 7 folds of the maximum number of passengers it ought to carry.
Also on the Adamawa boat mishap, Moghalu said findings from the preliminary investigation by NIWA revealed the boat sailed into bad weather, but sadly it could not traverse the ensuing storm which the captain sailed into.
He further said the weather on the day of the Adamawa accident was so bad that the emergency crew racing down to the accident spot for search and rescue operations was practically hindered because of the intensity of the storm.
The MD of NIWA explained that in addition to his men patrolling the nation’s coastal axis through its 23 area offices/stations nationwide, he had also written to all the Governors of states in the coastal areas about the position of the authority on approved standard operating procedures and especially on approved safety protocols so that they could complement the authority’s efforts in apprehending any arrant operator find flouting those regulations within their domain.
To put in check the weather challenge, Dr. Moghalu said he had signed a memorandum of understanding with NIMET, and as soon as weather reports were received they were promptly circulated throughout the stations for appropriate advice to boat operators.
Dr. George Moghalu however, commiserated with Nigerians especially, families of accident victims on the nation’s inland waterways, and fervently urged everyone boarding a vessel either as a passenger, cargo handler, or operator, to make as ultra-high priority, and without an iota of wavering, the observance of all safety protocols such as wearing of safety jacket. The operators he sternly warned never to attempt overload and not sail in the night, among others.
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