The President/Ceo of the Metropolitan Waterways Concepts Ltd, Engr (Dr) Lateef Onikoyi has revealed that from January 2022, every boat Skipper or Deck-Hand who has not been trained or licensed by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) will be arrested and prosecuted.
Recall that NIWA recently signed a five-year agreement with Metropolitan Waterways Concepts Ltd to provide training and licensing of boat skippers and deck-hands in Lagos and Ogun State.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively in his office in Lagos, Engineer Onikoyi warned that any boat skipper that does not pass through the training should forget about driving any boat on Lagos waterways as from January 2022.
According to the Metropolitan Waterways Chief Executive Officer, “The training and licensing of boat skippers which we will be providing, will be mandatory for all boat drivers. By January 1st of 2022, any boat skipper who has not passed through training at Metropolitan Waterways Concepts Ltd shouldn’t drive on Lagos waterways again. Anywho does that will be arrested and prosecuted. It’s like driving a car without a Driver’s License.”
On the scope of the training, Engr. Onikoyi explained that “We are starting with Lagos and Ogun State first; then after we conclude that stage, we will move to other states of the federation. We have procured the type of boats used for training at the International Yacht Training Institute (IYTI) in Canada, a Boston Wailer. She’s a sea-going boat and will be deployed for the practical stage of the training.
“For existing boat skippers, we will be carrying out practical training for them on their own boats. Also, for existing boat skippers, the practical will entail telling them the rules of the waterways. Most of them are not conversant with the rules while driving on the waterways.
“Most don’t know when to increase speed or reduce speed. Most don’t even know that we have lanes on the waterways. For example, when a boat is approaching you at top speed, you have to take the Starboard side, which is the green light lane. On passenger boats, we have the Starboard side and the port side. The starboard side is the green light lane while the port side is the red lane.
“When a boat is approaching, and you are also driving, you have to keep to the starboard side. If you take the port side which is the red lane, there could be a collision. Waterways transport is guided by rules, but most don’t know these things. Remember the boat collision accident that happened in Liverpool and claimed lives? The driver of the barge and the passenger boat were ignorant of the rules guiding waterways transport. These are issues we intend to correct with the training of boat skippers.”
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