The Management of National Inland Waterways Authority, (NIWA) wish to commiserate with the Government and People of Kwara State on the recent boat mishap which occured on Saturday in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of the State.
NIWA Area Manager in Minna who covers Kwara State, Surv. Abubakar M. Wathanafa visited the site of the boat mishap and confirmed that twelve (12) people lost their lives, while two (2) were rescued and search and rescue efforts is still ongoing by the combine team of NIWA, Marine Police, Fire Service and Local divers.
The Area Manager attributed the cause of the accident on failure to adhere to NIWA Safety guidelines which includes overloading of the boat, using dilapidated and old boat and failure to use life jackets by the passengers.
The Authority appeals to the general public especially river users to strictly adhere to NIWA safety guidelines. The present Management is working hard to ensure that such unfortunate incidents are reduce to the barest minimum.
NIWA continues to encourage boat users to use modern and safe water transportation mode on waterways.
TAYO FADILE
GM Corporate Affairs.
(NIWA)
