The members of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria Waters (WABOTAN), have condoled with the people and government of Kwara State over the painful boat accident that occurred at the Pategi Local Government Area of Kwara State and claimed the lives of over 100 people.
Babatope Fajemirokun, national president of WABOTAN said in a statement that the members will keep adhering to safety measures in order to avoid a repeat of the fatal boat mishap.
He said the association is deeply saddened by the reports of the Kwara boat mishap.
“As stakeholders in the water transport sector in Nigeria, we have been committed to playing our role in the needed efforts to transform the water transport sector and the strict adherence to safety and security measures to forestall such mishaps. This has formed part of our core objectives which is training and retraining of boat captains and deckhands, to build capacity and ensure safety and security on our waterways,” he said.
Fajemirokun said the association usually carry out training boat captains and deckhands in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government.
According to him, it has contributed to Lagos State recording immense improvement in the safety and security of passengers on its water.
“Our next capacity building and safety training programme comes up this November in Lagos and we are making efforts to extend this training to Kwara and other states across the country where water transportation has been embraced as a means of moving people and goods from one place to another,” he added.
