Over 10 Corpses Recovered Daily From Lagos water Bodies – Akasu
Fresh facts on Thursday emerged that the Lagos waterway is not safe when a Marine Police Officer, Ufomanefe Akusu, revealed that at least ten corpses are recovered daily from water bodies in the state.
Akaso disclosed this during a stakeholders forum by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), themed ‘The Role Of Water Transportation In The Development Of An Integrated Transportation System In Lagos’.
He was however happy that with the equipping of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to tackle emergencies on Lagos waterways, incidences of deaths will be greatly curtailed.
He added that the acquisition of rescue boats and skid jets would not only help LASEMA to be able to response and carry out emergency operations on water, but also in record time.
He also believed that would greatly help to complement the efforts of marine police in rescue operations.
The Managing Director of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, while reacting to the comment stating that not less than 10 corpses are recovered from Lagos water bodies, said that it is the reason his agency has been clamouring for the use of standard boats by boat operators.
He disclosed that in days to come, his agency would begin to enforce the use of standard boats to avert boat mishaps.
Emmanuel stated that LASWA wants an inclusive operations, hence the reason it is willing to listen to the operators to jointly find solutions to their concerns.
He said that his agency is concerned about current operators and new entrants maintaining established standards as it wants a sustainable development of the state inland waterways.
According to him, it requires collective effort of all stakeholders, saying “Let me quickly point out that LASWA, as the inland waterways regulator for Lagos State, continued its role of ensuring safety and various interventions on the waterways despite its not being able to generate substantial revenue due to the court injunction on 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.
Emmanuel said that the government will lead the way by continuously working towards creating the right environment for operators to thrive and flourish.
He said that operators should therefore pay all requisite dues and fees to the state government.
