Lagos riveside communities where night boat trips persist

Although the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) have repeatedly announced the ban on night navigation along the Lagos waterways due to poor visibility and higher risks of boat mishaps occurring during this period, some riverside communities still use waterways transport at nights, Nigerian Tribune can authoritatively confirm.

Findings by the Nigerian Tribune have revealed that three communities in Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State, Sagbo-Koji, Bishop-Koji and Whla-Koji communities, still engage in night boat trips due to the nature of their occupation.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that the recent drowning of 19 members of the Sunmola Aniajogun family of Ibeshe in Mazamaza jetty was due to the fact that the boat operated around 7:45pm, outside the 6:30pm stoppage time mandated by NIWA for waterways navigation.

Explaining why they still use the waterways at night during a sensitisation programme organised by the Lagos Area Office of NIWA, the baales of the three communities explained that their women, who trade around Mile 2 area don’t leave for home until around 7pm.

The Baales, who include Anthony Avime, Baale of Sagbo-Koji; Houeto Bernard, Baale of Whla-Koji and Sohome Benieni, Baale of Bishop-Koji all told the Lagos Area Manager, Sarat Braimah said, “Our women are traders. They go to Mile 2 to sell and trade. The trading activities peak around 4pm when people close from work to go home.

“This peak period won’t end until around 7pm in the evening. It is after our women finish trading for the day that they start coming home, and the only way home is by water transport.”

The Baale’s then asked NIWA to help them since their occupation forced them to flout the waterways navigation laws of the Federal Government.

Responding, the NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Sarat Braimah, told the three community leaders that she would be liaising with the Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) to see if there could be a dedicated boat to take the women home after daily trading activities.

Sarat Braimah said, “I will see if I can discuss with LAGFERRY to know if they can dedicate a boat for your women who trade in Mile 2.”

“Also, NIWA has some boats that can be used for such purposes. The problem is just that we hope the boat operators won’t see us as competing with them. As regulators, we don’t have any business in commercial boat operations. Ours is to regulate the industry. Once we dedicate a boat for your women, we hope boat operators won’t see us as competitors.

“I will try to see if we can get a boat for such purposes because most of the wooden boats that take your women back home from Mile 2 at night lack night navigational aids.

“Such boat rides are dangerous and with what happened in Mile 2, we won’t fold our hands and allow another tragic incident on the Lagos waterways again.”

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