Tinubu Directs NSIB to Commence Immediate Investigation into Kwara Boat Mishap

·       Sanwo-Olu, Obaseki, transportation commissioners’ forum commiserate with state govt, affected families

Segun James in Lagos and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday, directed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to commence immediate investigation into the boat mishap that occurred at Kpada community in Pategi Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Monday.

The Director General/CEO, NSIB, Akin Olateru, disclosed this during a media briefing.

This was just as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, have commiserated with the government and people of Kwara State over the incident.

Olateru, noted that in line with enabling law of the federal republic of Nigeria, the NSIB ACT 2022 and the directive of the President, the Bureau has commenced investigation into the boat mishap.

He stressed that from reports gathered thus far, the boat was said to have conveyed not less than 250 passengers from a village called Egboti in Niger State and information received also revealed that 106 fatalities had been recorded and the total of 144 passengers have been rescued so far.

According to him, “the NSIB is an autonomous multi-modal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate air, rail, marine and other modes of transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent reoccurrences.

“The purpose of accident investigation, however, is not to apportion blame or liability, but to prevent future recurrence of similar incidents. In order to carry out this mandate, the Bureau would be carrying out a lot of fact findings through crew and passenger interviews, working with relevant authorities to be able to determine the probable cause(s) of this accident. 

“I will also like to use this medium to reach out to other local, state, federal agencies and other relevant stakeholders to maintain effective cooperation and collaboration so as to ensure transportation safety.

“We are committed to swift response to accident and serious incident occurrences through our well-equipped Command and Control Centre.”

The NSIB boss further maintained that, “accident reporting has also been simplified through our Mobile Application, which was introduced to interface with the public and make it easy for them to communicate with NSIB digitally. 

“The NSIB, hereby, solicit information from the public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to help assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.”

Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu, has expressed sadness over the boat accident that claimed the lives of over 100 wedding guests in Kwara State.

Sanwo-Olu, in a condolence message he personally signed and issued yesterday, sympathised with the immediate families of the victims of the boat disaster and the government and people of Kwara State.

Sanwo-Olu also sympathised with his Kwara State counterpart and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq over the ugly incident and wished the people of Kwara State, peace, comfort and lots of love at this time of sorrow.

He said: “I am deeply saddened by the news of a boat accident that occurred at Egbu village in Patigi, Kwara State, which claimed the lives of over 100 people.

“The death of a loved one is usually very painful but the death of over a hundred citizens who undertook a journey to celebrate the wedding of their loved ones made the tragic incident more disheartening.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Lagos state, I sympathise with the immediate families of victims of the boat disaster, the government and people of Kwara State.”

Also, Obaseki commiserated with AbdulRazaq, as well as the Government and people of Kwara State, over the unfortunate boat mishap in Patigi Local Government Area of the State, which resulted in the death of about 100 persons.

Obaseki in a statement said the incident was deeply saddening, reiterating the need for safety on the waterways to avoid such tragedies.

The governor said, “I extend heartfelt condolences to you, my brother, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Government and the good people of Kwara State, over the unfortunate boat mishap in Patigi Local Government Area of the State, which resulted in the death of about 100 persons.

“The incident is deeply saddening and our prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and the injured.

“It is even more painful that the deceased persons were guests at a wedding ceremony, which is supposed to be a moment of celebration and merriment.

“In the light of this unfortunate incident, it is pertinent to reiterate the call for safety on the waterways so as to avoid tragedies such as this one.”

He added, “I commiserate with the Government and people of Kwara State and pray that God will grant all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Relatedly, the Nigerian Transportation Commissioners Forum (NTCF) has commiserated with the government and the people of Kwara State following the tragic and unfortunate boat mishap that occurred in the state. 

The Executive Secretary of NTCF, Chinwe Uwaegbute, described the incident as sad and avoidable.

Uwaegbute, during a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, sympathised with families of the victims involved in the boat accident, even as she reiterated the forum’s commitment to curtail reoccurrence of such incident in future.

According to her, the incident which was caused by an overloaded locally fabricated boat, resulted in the loss of over 100 lives, with numerous injuries and some missing individuals.

The Executive Secretary recalled some similar events of mishap in Anambra and Lagos which also claimed lives.

She said: ”These unfortunate events are a somber reminder of the urgent need to prioritise safety in intermodal transportation and take proactive measures to prevent such avoidable accidents.

”It has become imperative for relevant authorities to ensure boat owners and passengers adhere strictly and comply with safety measures.

”It is our firm belief that forging stronger partnerships among intermodal stakeholders and practitioners is also essential to promote safety as the hallmark of transportation.”