DANGEROUS BOATS, DANGEROUS WATERS: Passengers risk lives commuting on Lagos garbage-filled waters DECEMBER 28, 2014 BY GBENGA ADENIJI - PUNCH NEWSPAPER: On the way to Ojo Town GBENGA ADENIJI, took a boat trip for two hours and captures why Nigeria has a high-rate of boat mishaps It was 11am at Coconut Tin-Can Island Jetty, Apapa, Lagos State. Passengers trickled in slowly into Ibrahim’s local boat. Many of the wooden local boats are worn-out. Though most of them look attractive from the outside, their inside reeks woods that have seen better days. The perforated bottom in some of them allows for the penetration of water. The beefy boat operator dressed in a wet, dirty shirt and a pair of shorts assured the passengers in the boat that the trip to Igbologun would take 10 minutes. “It’s about eight minutes or less with a speedboat. But since this is a wooden boat, I always take it easy when on the sea. I should be in Igbologun in 10 minutes no matter how slow I move but I assure you that you will not miss the appointment you are going for.” As he spoke, more passengers arrived. There was a young, fair-complexioned woman among them who had difficulty climbing into the boat. She was assisted by one of the boat operators waiting for his turn. About 5, 000 people use water transport in Lagos State daily. The local boats take passengers daily between Coconut on Tin-Can Island and Igbologun Jetty on Snake Island to neighbouring villages. The fare is N100 per passenger. Three passengers sit on each of the five dividers in a local engine boat. Despite the 15-passenger space, some operators allow passengers with cargos into their boats. The journey soon started in silence with ships speeding past the boat. When the boat finally berthed at Igbologun, it was easy for many of the passengers to disembark quickly because they did not strap the life jackets to their waists. After taking a boat trip back to Coconut Tin-Can Island Jetty, our correspondent embarked on another trip to Ojo Town in a speedboat. There was a noticeable difference in the way passengers in the speedboat wore the life jackets. Many of them wore it properly and also demanded for good ones before the journey started. But the speed was pulsating as the boat steamed on the water. Despite the speed, the operator kept chatting with a passenger he seemed to be familiar with until a passenger cautioned him. The 25-minute journey which cost N500 per passenger terminated at Ojo Town. Passengers heaved a sigh of relief as they pulled off the life jackets and disembarked from the speedboat. No formal training for boat operators Most of the operators, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH, said they did not receive any formal training before starting the job. They learnt the rudiments of the job while assisting other operators. Ganiu Olaiya, who has a senior secondary school certificate, said he learnt how to drive a boat when he was a boat conductor on a wooden boat. He said he used to watch his boss as he operated the boat’s outboard engine. Olaiya said, “It did not take me long to learn how to drive a boat. I later changed to driving a speedboat because I like its speed on water and the minimal passengers we are required to carry unlike a wooden boat which carries 15 passengers excluding the operator and his assistant. A speedboat uses three plugs upwards and over 60 and 70 horsepower. The lowest it can use is 40hp. The engines of some speedboats can be inboard or outboard depending on their designs or manufacturers’ preferences.” According to the chubby Olaiya who said he has been driving a speedboat for seven years, there are boats with various capacities. “The wooden boat uses between 16 and 25 hp and only two plugs. But regardless of whether one drives a wooden or speedboat, it is important for an operator to be cautious when driving on the sea especially because the more the passengers, the heavier they are on the water,” he said. Another boat operator, Isaac, who refused our correspondent’s entreaties to take his photograph, said he often encountered problems from passengers who detested using life jackets. He said, ‘‘I started the job a year ago. I learnt it from a man who was then riding a wooden boat. I always have problems with passengers who do not like wearing life jackets. There are many of them who see it as helmets which some motorcycle riders give to their passengers. Some of them will say they do not know the type of passenger who had worn it before so they won’t use it.” He also said his colleagues get distracted easily on the sea. ‘‘Some boat operators receive and make phone calls while taking passengers to their destinations; it is a bad habit. We have also had cases where the waves made by ships or speedboats swept off wooden boats and they capsized. There is need for a lot of caution.” Isaac’s colleague, Bernard, also refused to allow his photograph taken. He said he was taught how to drive a boat in one of the jetties in Ikorodu before he relocated to Apapa some years ago. The jetties in Ikorodu are located in Igbogbo, Ijede, Ipakodo, Majidun and Bayeku. When our correspondent asked how he could learn how to drive a boat perfectly, he said, ‘‘It is not difficult. You can even ask any operator to take you on a trip and watch how he drives.” Recurring mishaps Lagos State waterways comprises Lagos Island/Lekki/ Ajah zone, Ikorodu; and Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry zones and there have been five boat mishaps in the state this year. Three persons were declared missing in January when a boat capsized at Ogogoro village, Navy Town, Apapa, Lagos. The local boat with 10 passengers was going from Coconut Jetty in Apapa to Ojo Town. In May, one person died while eight others were rescued alive after a commercial boat capsized on the Victoria Island area of the state. Earlier in March, about a dozen passengers lost their lives to boat mishap in FESTAC, while nine others perished in the Oworonshoki area in April. One person also got missing when a passenger boat travelling from Iba to Tin-Can Island, Lagos capsized in July. One of the passengers who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH narrated his near-death experience while on the sea. Joseph Nwambam, 21, stated that apart from the fact that some passengers do not care about life jackets, the waves from bigger boats or ships unsettle small ones. “Sometimes, the waves from a passing speedboat or ship can threaten the boat near it. In that instance, the operator needs to be calm because if he is jittery, his passengers will show signs of despair which is dangerous because it may confuse the operator leading to a mishap,” Nwambam said. He stated that his first journey in a boat was terrifying when a nearby ship caused a wave that shook the boat he was in. “I was just praying. The first thing that came to my mind was how I would survive if the boat capsizes since I cannot swim. The operator was composed and was able to steady the boat after the upsurge,” he added. The Public Information Officer for the National Emergency Management Agency, South West region, Ibrahim Farinloye, said some of the causes of mishaps can be attributed to wrecks, logs and water debris in recent times. He noted that the Lagos State Government including the National Inland Waterways Agency was currently making efforts to make the waters debris and wrecks free. According to him, the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria said wrecks and logs caused 90 per cent of most accidents on Lagos waterways. Farinloye said, ‘‘Ships and tug boats passing the inland waterways are fond of over-speeding thereby causing high waves that make smaller boats to capsize. This was what caused an accident on Tin-Can Island to Ojo route a few months ago which claimed the life of a passenger. “Passengers are enjoined to have their personal life jackets as a precautionary step. Agencies have recently been distributing life jackets freely to boat operators. All the life jackets in use now are genuine and safe.” The Lagos State Waterways Authority disclosed that the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, distributed 2,000 life jackets to operators of water transportation in Ebute Ojo in Ojo Local Government Area in May, this year during the state’s Water Transport Safety Awareness Programme. The governor also appealed to them to always insist on passengers using the life jackets when on board. Speaking with SUNDAY PUNCH, the President, ATBOWATON, Mr. Ganiyu Balogun, stated that the association identified 30 tragedy-prone spots in Lagos waterways in areas such as Ikorodu and Badagry. Balogun noted, “These spots have wrecks and logs which can constitute dangers to boats.” He also named some of the challenges facing members of the association to include fuelling of boats, lack of sign posts to identify the high and low areas on the waterways and inadequate training. “Boat business is expensive to run. The state government is trying and we are also complementing its efforts. We know that it cannot do everything,” he stated. Balogun, who did not brand any life jackets as inferior, added that their prices range from 2,000 to 30,000 depending on the grade. He explained, “Some passengers always refuse to wear the life jackets. But it is the duty of the boat driver to insist that passengers must use them. Some passengers even release the buckle after entering the boat. ‘‘As a rule, a boat driver in my jetty who does not insist on a passenger using the life jackets pays N1,000 as a fine. Some passengers often wonder why they should use life jackets.” Poor swimming habits Most of the sea travellers SUNDAY PUNCH spoke with admitted that they cannot swim. While swimming is not rare in Nigeria, a lot of Nigerians cannot swim. One of them, Sunday Nwibo said, “There is something creepy about the water especially when one is on the sea. What will be on one’s mind throughout the journey is to arrive safely. I used to swim in a river in my village but that is not to say I know how to swim. In actual fact, I do not know how to swim.” For Olumide Ogayemi, his ability to swim is the reason he is still alive. He said he was fishing in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State when his boat capsized. Ogayemi said, “I am not new on the sea. I was trying to catch a fish without knowing that it had clipped the rope. I was sure I had caught it and while I dragged it, it got stuck and I lost balance. That was when the boat I was in capsized. What saved me that day was my swimming ability because I was far from the shoreline.” An expert on swimming and Chief Executive Officer of Aquasaf Concept, Mr. Matthew Oyemi, attributed the swimming inability of many water passengers to aqua phobia which he said some people exhibit. He added, “Many people in the Niger Delta region and the Ilajes in Ondo State who live in coastal areas know how to swim because of their environment. Some of them are even into fishing and they are used to water. There are those who are aqua phobic. It is important for anybody who travels on the water to learn swimming skills.” Oyemi, however, stressed that the relevance of swimming to safety on the sea was invaluable. He stated that it was necessary for those who travel on the water to acquire swimming skills in case of an emergency. He said, “The acquisition of swimming skills is vital for anybody who travels on the water to survive whenever there is mishap. The life jacket is not reliable and some people do not even use it when in a boat. So, when there is an emergency, a passenger who has basic swimming skills will try to explore safety options.” The American Swimming Coach Association Certified Instructor added that advanced countries incorporate swimming in the curriculum. Copyright PUNCH.All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 13:46:35 +0000
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