Niger State government it is considering the establishment of Inland Waterways Transport Agency to monitor transportation along its waterways as part of measures to reduce cases of boat mishaps.
The state Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, disclosed this when he visited the families of the recent boat mishap along River Zumba link to Kaduna River, in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The governor, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Malam Mikail Al-amin Bmitosahi, stressed that he has also directed the state Commissioner, Ministry of Justice to perfect all necessary legal frameworks for the setting up and take-off of the agency.
Governor Bello while commiserating with families of the victims of the boat mishap expressed concern over the inability of boat operators along state inland waterways to abide by the best global marine transportation practices.
Bello said that regulating their activities along the state inland waterways would reduce loss of lives and properties.
He also blamed the recent accident on the failure of the boat operator to provide protective jackets for passengers.
“The state government will make sure that no boat operator is allowed to carry passengers without protective jackets when agency becomes operational”, Bello said, adding that the state is pained to have lost no fewer than 30 souls when the boat they were traveling with capsized.
“Niger State has witnessed too many boat mishaps and that is why plans are on to come up with an agency that will regulate and monitor the activities of marine transport operators to prevent some of these avoidable accidents on our water ways”.
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