Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Center for Marine Surveyors, Nigeria, CMSN, has lampooned safety and regulatory agencies in the maritime sector for the frequent boat accidents saying that “they have become more focused on revenue generation than safety standards.”
Reacting to the recent boat accident that occurred in Ilorin Kwara State, President of CMSN, Engr Akin Olaniyan, FNSE, said that the recent boat mishaps witnesses in the country over the years has become one accident too many.
He urged the current President Bola Tinubu led administration to compel the safety agencies and government departments involved in maritime safety to either seat up or be shown the way out.
He said: “Somebody must be held accountable because the victims of these accidents are the less privileged members of the society does make their lives worth less.
“If it were an aviation accident, we would have been declaring a National Day of Mourning.
“The solution to the marine accident had always been at our fingertips, the safety and regulatory agencies have always paid lip service to the issues of safety because we have always had square pegs in round holes.
“And until we change the narrative, we will always live with the same outcome. We have seen our maritime agencies as financial gatekeepers for revenue generation and as such the fundamental reason for their creation which is developing the maritime industry has been lost.
“The safer and cleaner the maritime environment is, the more profitable and investment friendly it will be as our waterways will not be a national gutter as we have it now to our shame.
“Our waterways should be safe and secured to serve as a transportation conduit to move and people and cargoes around.
“Our boats and ferries should be locally but properly built and certified and seaworthy and businesses this will generate is humongous.
“The whole system has collapsed, and the effect of this collapse is what we are seeing in time past. The Kwara boat accident is not a pan in the flash, it has become a recurrent decimal in our inland waterways.
“I implore the government of the day to pay more attention to the water transport sector.”
He pledged the support of the Center to assist in finding a permanent solution to the menace of waterways transport.
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