The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has announced its intention to gradually eliminate wooden boats from the inland waterways.
Speaking during an interactive session with editors in Lagos over the weekend, NIWA’s Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, noted that these boats are responsible for a significant portion of nationwide accidents.
According to Oyebamiji, this situation arises mainly due to a disregard for operational regulations, including a prohibition against nighttime travel, issues of overloading, and the failure to utilize life jackets by both operators and passengers.
Naija News reports that the discussion primarily addressed the safety of the waterways and the expansion of water travel.
Speaking further at the interactive session, Oyebamiji informed the editors that wooden boats make up more than 90 percent of the vessels operating on the waterways.
He also highlighted that night travel is considered a criminal offence, as many of these boats lack…
