by Kehinde Ajetunmobi

But as soon as the engine stopped and we remained on the same spot, the water found an opportunity to flow more rapidly in, creating some panic among the already scared passengers. We started to bail water out of the boat as we waited for about an hour in the dark till a rescue boat arrived. I have since lost my nerves, and would NEVER ply a Lagos water way again.

To say I was surprised when I heard of the Wednesday boat mishap that occurred on the Ebute Aro-Ikorodu waterways in Lagos would be akin to telling an outrageous lie. Only the day before I had plied the same route in a piece of iron-mongery disguised as a vessel and called a ferry. My experience was horrible as the operators put a clearly malfunctioning boat on water. I have vowed never again to cross the waters, regardless of how long the Lagos traffic lines might be.

I work and live on Victoria Island, but have family in Ikorodu whom I visit occasionally. Hence the need to figure out a smart way to avoid the congested roads, especially during rush hour. The answer seemed to be so simple, an alternate means of transport, that was faster than the roads – ferries! Though slightly more expensive, the experience ought to be worthwhile and my the transport time shorter. I was dead wrong!

The first experience: we took off at Majidun jetty, off Ikorodu road at around 6am. The life jackets we were given looked tattered and worn for better days. Our boat was loaded in a jiffy and off we left; NO information on how to handle an emergency was disseminated, NO instructions on what to do. If we suddenly faced an unexpected situation, NO signs leading to an emergency exit- if there was one. The windows were securely fastened on one end, making it difficult for a passenger to extricate themselves from danger,if the need arose. The boat was also cramped with about 30 passengers, clearly more than was designed for the ferry to conveniently ship per time and that made each wave that hit the boat seem amplified as we seem to hit the waves with a crack. After surveying the entire situation, the only choice left was to pray and commit my life into the hands of God. Less than 7 minutes into the trip. The engine of the boat began to splutter as the boat gradually slowed to a halt. There were no words from the operators. No one said a thing! There we were, roving around as sitting ducks while the waves hit the boat from every angle. To make matter worse we could overhear the operator making a casual phone call to his collegues, saying, the boat had stopped AGAIN and they should send an empty boat. One could sense the person on the other ending, goading our boat operator to fix the problem and try to move the boat further along. In summary, we arrived Victoria Island 2 hours later and what should have been a 30 minute boat ride, took over 2 hours. Although we were grateful for the safe albeit there were no apologies or refunds.

My second experience: a trip in the opposite direction which was similar to the first, only more frightening. This time the boat operators were clearly over speeding and the engine stopped less than a kilometer from the Sand Fill jetty in Victoria Island. We (the passengers) could still see the shoreline and urged the boat operator to “take us back to the jetty”, they were obstinate and refused. After running the engine with incessant breaks in between, we got to the center of the lagoon, where we could no longer see the shoreline and it was then that the engine refused to go any further. I became alarmed as I had not noticed that the craft was
leaking when we began the journey some few minutes earlier. But as soon as the engine stopped and we remained on the same spot, the water found an opportunity to flow more rapidly in, creating some panic among the already scared passengers. We started to bail water out of the boat as we waited for about an hour in the dark till a rescue boat arrived. I have since lost my nerves, and would NEVER ply a Lagos water way again.

It is the duty of every government to protect the lives of her citizens. A situation where boat operators are either allowed to
operate without regulations or where existing regulations are not enforced is absolutely deplorable. The Lagos State Waterways Authority Act enacted in 2008, empowers the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) with the responsibility coordinating and regulating of water transportation in Lagos State and this includes the granting of ferry licenses. So my question then is why are operators allowed to run death traps on our waters? LASWA ought to do a better job. The operators are only as culpable as a sleeping government agency. Just 2 weeks ago another boat mishap claimed the lives of 18 people in Festac. Ensuring the water ways are safe is a venture that would profit the State, operators and the passengers. One would think Lagos state has everything to again by effectively regulating the sector rather than wait for a public outcry at the next tragedy. As for me, last Tuesday is the last time I will be getting on any of those ramshackle contraptions until something is done.

————————

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.