Anxiety as Lagferry re-introduces retrofitted boats on Lagos waterways

There was palpable tension among some boat operators on Tuesday following the reintroduction of some boats that had been sidelined for long due to accidents or poor maintenance issues by the Lagos Ferry Services (Lagferry).

Checks by the Tribune Online revealed that the three boats, MF ALAUSA, MF IPAKODO, and MF ONIGANDO, were retrofitted by Lagferry and were returned to waterways passenger services on Tuesday.

Speaking with the Tribune Online exclusively, some boat operators, who wouldn’t want their names in print out of fear of being victimised, asked the media to scrutinise the safety standards of the three boats properly.

According to the boat operators, “The three boats were relaunched after being retrofitted. They have been sidelined for long due to different issues.

“Some were sidelined after having their hull damaged during accidents some years ago. MF ONIGANDO was once partially capsized and was withdrawn from service after the incident. That was about three years ago.

“Now, they have been retrofitted and reintroduced. How safe are they? I cannot vouch for the safety of these boats because we don’t know where they were taken for repairs. We even learnt that the media were not present during the relaunching of these boats. How true that is, I cannot really tell.”

When contacted, the Spokesman of Lagferry, Mr Akeem Odusina, debunked insinuations that the boats were sidelined because of accident-related issues.

In the words of the Lagferry Spokesman, “The three boats never had accident issues. They were sidelined for long because of wear and tear issues, not that they had poor maintenance or accident-related issues.

“The boats have been retrofitted and are very safe for waterways transportation.”

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