by ‘Jola Sotubo

Following the fatal boat mishap in the FESTAC area of Lagos, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASAWA) has placed a ban on night travels on water.

The ban was announced yesterday and is meant to serve as a move to dissuade transport operators on waterways from making trips at night and endangering the lives of passengers.

The development was announced by the Managing Director of LASAWA, Olayinka Marinho who added that transport operators on waterways had been warned repeatedly about night trips and had also been urged to acquire life jackets for their passengers.

He said:

“The boat was travelling at night, overloaded, and no one on board wore life jacket. It is unfortunate that people find it hard to heed warnings. “Four school children and some adults have been confirmed dead, we are still carrying out investigations on the number of male adults on board.

“We don’t support passengers travelling at night in view of the threat to passengers’ security. “No operator or passenger should travel at night, especially in boats without navigational lights.’’

“LASWA will continue to enforce the proper usage of life jackets, prevent over-loading and discourage night travel.’’

The FESTAC accident claimed the lives of about 18 people, with some bodies retrieved while the search for others is still ongoing. The waterways in Lagos open officially for operation at 6 a.m. and close at 6pm.