10 corpses recovered from Lagos water daily-Marine police
The Nigerian Marine Police has disclosed that no fewer than 10 bodies are recovered from Lagos state water bodies daily, even as it called for improvement in emergency management.
Number of bodies recovered from Lagos water bodies was revealed at a stakeholders’ forum organised by Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), themed ‘the role of water transportation in the development of an integrated transportation system in Lagos’.
The officer, name withheld, however expressed his joy over equipment provided by the State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), stressing that number of causalities often recorded on Lagos waterways would reduce immediately.
He argued that the acquisition of rescue boats and skid jets which would not only help LASEMA response and carry out emergency operations on water but also at record time, but also complement the efforts of marine police during rescue operations.
On the issue, Managing Director of LASWA, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said that the era of such cases had ended, disclosing that plans had been concluded by the agency to enforce use of standard boats to prevent boat capsize in the state.
He noted that the agency was concerned about current operators raising standards and new entrants will maintain the established standards, as it wants a sustainable development of the state inland waterways. To achieve this, he said requires joint efforts of all stakeholders.
“Let me quickly point out that LASWA as the inland waterways regulator for Lagos State continued this this role of ensuring safety and various interventions on the waterways despite its not been able to generate substantial revenue due to the court injunction on the 28th March, 2014, which was reversed on July 18, 2017.”
He noted that the inland waterways is a constantly developing sector that requires joint efforts and contributions from all stakeholders for its sustainable development.
According to Emmanuel, the government will lead the way by continuously working towards creating the right environment for operators to thrive and flourish.
Also speaking at the event, the Director General of Lagos State Safety Commission, Hakeem Dickson, said that boats having plate numbers would help promote better safety on water as boats could be tracked easily. He said discussions are ongoing about the introduction.
